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Added 9 October 2026

sweep

/swiːp/ noun

In Latin: ēverrō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sweep at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A wide scope.
the sweep of the plains
Someone who cleans soot from chimneys.
Winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge.

verb

Sweep across or over.
Her long skirt brushed the floor
Move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions.
The diva swept into the room
Sweep with a broom or as if with a broom.
Sweep the crumbs off the table

Origin

From Middle English swepen, from Proto-West Germanic *swaipijan (unattested in Old English), from Proto-Germanic *swaipijaną. Cognate with Early Modern West Frisian swiepe (“whip, cleanse, sweep”), from Old Frisian swēpa, suepa (“sweep”). More distantly related to Old Norse sveipa (whence Swedish svepa). See also swoop.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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