sweep away
phrasal verb
swept away; sweeping away; sweeps away
: to destroy or remove (something) completely
Floods swept away several houses.
His performance today swept away any doubts about his ability to play.
Examples of sweep away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ever since Cile was swept away by the floodwaters that swamped Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country last summer, her mother has been coping with her grief by writing her daughter a letter every day.
—
Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
She was then swept away by the current.
—Claire Osborn, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
Also, the water is still actively moving underneath the ice, so if someone falls in, they could be swept away.
—Lauren Linder, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
Many homes and buildings in Mozambique were completely submerged under water and dozens of hospitals and clinics were destroyed, while roads and bridges were swept away in the South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga and parts of Zimbabwe.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
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Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
She was then swept away by the current.
—Claire Osborn, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
Also, the water is still actively moving underneath the ice, so if someone falls in, they could be swept away.
—Lauren Linder, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
Many homes and buildings in Mozambique were completely submerged under water and dozens of hospitals and clinics were destroyed, while roads and bridges were swept away in the South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga and parts of Zimbabwe.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sweep away
Cite this Entry
“Sweep away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweep%20away. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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