SWEEP


Meaning of SWEEP in English

■ verb ( ~s , ~ing ; past and past participle swept )

1》 clean (an area) by brushing away dirt or litter.

↘move or remove by brushing.

↘move or push with great force.

↘( ~ someone/thing away/aside ) remove or abolish someone or something swiftly and suddenly.

2》 search or survey (an area) for something.

↘cover (an entire area) with a gun.

3》 move or traverse swiftly and smoothly.

↘affect (a place) swiftly and widely: violence swept the country.

↘extend continuously, especially in an arc or curve.

↘ Cricket hit to the leg side by bringing the bat across the body from a half-kneeling position.

4》 N. Amer. be victorious in (a series of games).

■ noun

1》 an act of ~ing.

↘a chimney ~.

2》 a long, swift, curving movement.

↘ Electronics the movement of a beam across the screen of a cathode ray tube.

3》 a long, typically curved stretch of road, river, etc.

4》 the range or scope of something.

5》 informal a ~stake.

6》 N. Amer. an instance of winning every event, award, or place in a contest.

7》 a long heavy oar.

8》 a sail of a windmill.

9》 a long pole mounted as a lever for raising buckets from a well.

Phrases

~ the board win every event or prize in a contest.

Origin

OE swāpan , of Gmc origin.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.