sweeping

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sweep·ing

(swē′pĭng)

adj.

1. Having wide-ranging influence or effect: sweeping changes.

2. Moving in or as if in a wide curve: a sweeping gesture; a sweeping glance.

3. Indiscriminate; wholesale: sweeping generalizations.

4. Overwhelming; complete: a sweeping victory.

1. The action of one that sweeps.

2. sweepings Things swept up; refuse.

sweep′ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sweeping

(ˈswiːpɪŋ)

adj

1. comprehensive and wide-ranging: sweeping reforms.

2. indiscriminate or without reservations: sweeping statements.

3. decisive or overwhelming: a sweeping victory.

4. taking in a wide area: a sweeping glance.

5. driving steadily onwards, esp over a large area: a sweeping attack.

ˈsweepingly adv

ˈsweepingness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sweep•ing

(ˈswi pɪŋ)

adj.

1. of wide range or scope.

2. moving or passing over a wide area: a sweeping glance.

3. moving or driving steadily and forcibly on.

4. (of the outcome of a contest) decisive; overwhelming: a sweeping victory.

5. the act of a person or thing that sweeps.

6. sweepings, matter swept out or up, as dust or refuse.

[1470–80]

sweep′ing•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	sweeping - the act of cleaning with a broom cleaning, cleansing, cleanup - the act of making something clean; "he gave his shoes a good cleaning"
Adj.	1.	sweeping - taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination; "a sweeping glance"; "a wide-sweeping view of the river" broad, wide - having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other; "wide roads"; "a wide necktie"; "wide margins"; "three feet wide"; "a river two miles broad"; "broad shoulders"; "a broad river"
	2.	sweeping - ignoring distinctions; "sweeping generalizations"; "wholesale destruction" wholesale indiscriminate - not marked by fine distinctions; "indiscriminate reading habits"; "an indiscriminate mixture of colors and styles"

sweeping

adjective

1. extensive, broad, vast, expansive, panoramic, spacious the long sweeping curve of Rio's Guanabara Bay

2. indiscriminate, blanket, across-the-board, wholesale, exaggerated, overstated, unqualified, overdrawn, oversimplified sweeping generalizations about ability based on gender

3. wide-ranging, global, comprehensive, wide, broad, radical, extensive, all-inclusive, all-embracing, overarching, thoroughgoing sweeping economic reforms
wide-ranging limited, narrow, minor, restricted, modest, token, constrained, unimportant

4. decisive, complete, total, overwhelming, unconditional, unqualified, out-and-out The election was a sweeping victory for the secular centre left.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

sweeping

adjective

Covering a wide scope:

all-around, all-inclusive, all-round, broad, broad-spectrum, comprehensive, expansive, extended, extensive, far-ranging, far-reaching, general, global, inclusive, large, overall, wide-ranging, wide-reaching, widespread.

Translations

شَبيه بالتَّكْنيسكاسِح، شامِل

pronikavýrozmáchlý

fejendegennemgribende

durchschlagend schwungvoll umfassend

aplastante arrollador radical amplio

balayage

seprõ

sem sóparyfirburîa-, alger

dichiarazione generica radicale travolgente

gjennomgripende

ďalekosiahly

genel kapsamlısüpürür gibi

巨大的挥动的

sweeping

[ˈswiːpɪŋ]

A. ADJ [gesture, movement] → amplio; [generalization] → excesivo; [curve] → abierto; [view] → magnífico; [skirt] → de vuelo amplio; [change] → radical; [victory] → arrollador, aplastante
a large house with sweeping lawns → una gran casa con amplias extensiones de césped
that's rather a sweeping statement → eso es generalizar demasiado

B. N

1. (= action) → barrido m, barrida f
we gave it a sweeping → le dimos un barrido or una barrida → lo barrimos

2. sweepings → basura f (tras un barrido) (fig) [of society etc] → desechos mpl, escoria f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sweeping

[ˈswiːpɪŋ] adj

[changes, reforms] → radical(e)

[generalization] → abusif/ive
a sweeping statement → une déclaration à l'emporte-pièce

[curve]
the long sweeping curve of Guanabara bay → la longue échancrure de la baie de Guanabara

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sweeping

adj

gesture, stroke, curve → weit ausholend; bow, curtsey, lines → schwungvoll; glance → streifend; staircase → geschwungen; lawn → ausgedehnt; view → weit

(fig) change, reduction → radikal, drastisch; statement → pauschal; victory → überragend, glänzend; to make a sweeping condemnation of something → etw in Bausch und Bogen verdammen

n (= cleaning) → Kehren nt, → Fegen nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sweeping

[ˈswiːpɪŋ] adj (gesture) → ampio/a; (statement) → generico/a; (changes, reforms) → radicale, ampio/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

sweep

(swiːp) – past tense, past participle swept (swept) – verb

1. to clean (a room etc) using a brush or broom. The room has been swept clean.

2. to move as though with a brush. She swept the crumbs off the table with her hand; The wave swept him overboard; Don't get swept away by (= become over-enthusiastic about) the idea!; She swept aside my objections.

3. to move quickly over. The disease/craze is sweeping the country.

4. to move swiftly or in a proud manner. High winds sweep across the desert; She swept into my room without knocking on the door.

noun

1. an act of sweeping, or process of being swept, with a brush etc. She gave the room a sweep.

2. a sweeping movement. He indicated the damage with a sweep of his hand.

3. a person who cleans chimneys.

4. a sweepstake.

ˈsweeper noun

a person or thing that sweeps. a road-sweeper; May I borrow your carpet-sweeper?

ˈsweeping adjective

1. that sweeps. a sweeping gesture.

2. (of changes etc) very great. a sweeping victory; sweeping reforms.

ˈsweeping-brush noun

a type of brush with a long handle that is used for sweeping floors etc.

at one/a sweep

by one action, at one time. He fired half of his employees at one sweep.

sweep (someone) off his feet

to affect (a person) with strong emotion or enthusiasm.

sweep out

to sweep (a room etc) thoroughly; to clean by sweeping. to sweep the classroom out.

sweep the board

to be very successful; to win all the prizes.

sweep under the carpet

to avoid facing, or dealing with (an unpleasant situation etc) by pretending it does not exist.

sweep up

to gather together or remove (dirt etc) by sweeping. She swept up the crumbs/mess.

References in classic literature ?

I caught sight of him toiling at the main-sheet, heaving it in and flat with his tremendous muscles, the stern of the schooner lifted high in the air and his body outlined against a white surge of sea sweeping past.

View in context

I CAN never forget the eighteen or twenty days during which the light trade-winds were silently sweeping us towards the islands.

That piratical-looking fellow, appropriately named the man-of-war's-hawk, with his blood-red bill and raven plumage, would come sweeping round us in gradually diminishing circles, till you could distinctly mark the strange flashings of his eye; and then, as if satisfied with his observation, would sail up into the air and disappear from the view.

The reality is very different; bold rock-bound coasts, with the surf beating high against the lofty cliffs, and broken here and there into deep inlets, which open to the view thickly-wooded valleys, separated by the spurs of mountains clothed with tufted grass, and sweeping down towards the sea from an elevated and furrowed interior, form the principal features of these islands.

View in context

It was sweeping round swiftly and steadily, this flaming death, this invisible, inevitable sword of heat.

View in context

The gabled brick, tile, and freestone houses had almost dried off for the season their integument of lichen, the streams in the meadows were low, and in the sloping High Street, from the West Gateway to the mediaeval cross, and from the mediaeval cross to the bridge, that leisurely dusting and sweeping was in progress which usually ushers in an old-fashioned market-day.

View in context

I had been caught up in a monstrous flood that was sweeping me I knew not whither.

View in context

Heaven?" he repeated stupidly, unconsciously sweeping the brilliant sunset sky with his gaze.

View in context

The prodigious strain upon the main-sail had parted the weather-sheet, and the tremendous boom was now flying from side to side, completely sweeping the entire after part of the deck.

View in context

By good fortune, paddle as I pleased, the tide was still sweeping me down; and there lay the HISPANIOLA right in the fairway, hardly to be missed.

The current had turned at right angles, sweeping round along with it the tall schooner and the little dancing coracle; ever quickening, ever bubbling higher, ever muttering louder, it went spinning through the narrows for the open sea.

View in context

They implored him not to uncork the bottle, since they and all their people were firm friends of the white men, and would always remain so; but, should the small-pox be once let out, it would run like wildfire throughout the country, sweeping off the good as well as the bad; and surely he would not be so unjust as to punish his friends for crimes committed by his enemies.