1
as in to flow
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
the wind swept across the plain without respite
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to curve
to turn away from a straight line or course
from this point the mountain range sweeps to the northeast and extends into the next state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scope
an area over which activity, capacity, or influence extends
Mrs. Griswold has been a teacher for so long that the sweep of her influence extends across three generations of the townspeople
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sweep
Kansas City Star, 29 July 2025
Barrett and Weiss, both prominent figures known for challenging orthodoxy, will discuss the future of the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and America’s legal trajectory at a moment of sweeping cultural and political transformation.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 28 July 2025
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 26 July 2025
The Diamondbacks entered Monday's game against the Houston Astros coming off a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the desert over the weekend and 4 1/2 games back of the final wild card spot in the National League.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweep
Verb
They were swept by the Texas Rangers last weekend and have struggled throughout the 2025 season since opening the year 0-7.
—Kansas City Star, 29 July 2025
Barrett and Weiss, both prominent figures known for challenging orthodoxy, will discuss the future of the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and America’s legal trajectory at a moment of sweeping cultural and political transformation.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 28 July 2025
Noun
The Yankees will attempt to avoid a three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon, with Carlos Rodón (10-7, 3.10 ERA) set to start against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.39 ERA).
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 26 July 2025
The Diamondbacks entered Monday's game against the Houston Astros coming off a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the desert over the weekend and 4 1/2 games back of the final wild card spot in the National League.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweep
Verb
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All traffic flows through a single, unified policy engine with common enforcement points.—
Etay Maor,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
Guitarist Tom Bukovac composed a flowing instrumental riff to open the performance, creating a little extra sweetness that helps hide the passive-aggressive venom.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Enjoying an excellent day in front of a vociferous home support at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the 36-year-old found himself in a spot of bother when his tee shot at the par-four 11th curved into the rough on the right of the fairway.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
19 July 2025
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Most storms that form off Florida’s east coast tend to track north or northeast along the Atlantic, often curving away from the U.S. mainland.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Kentucky's incentives are not unusual in their scope compared to other states and are attractive to the industry, experts said, with the potential to shave millions of dollars off the cost of data center development.—
Connor Giffin,
The Courier-Journal,
30 July 2025
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Benjamin Heber Johnson: Honestly, writing a history of this scope is a huge challenge.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Verb
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As agencies begin translating priorities into rules and funding decisions, implementation could drift into partisan favoritism.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Football, meanwhile, was still drifting about in his mind.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Gabriel Pec played an long arcing ball to the top of the penalty box, where Marco Reus tapped a first-touch pass to a wide-open Paintsil, who calmly flicked a shot inside the back post from the left side of the area.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 July 2025
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Making a thunderous sound, each erupted in bursts of flame and trailed white smoke that arced high into the air.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Wearing a protective mask after seriously injuring his face during a match in 2021, Victor Osimhen may as well have been gliding around with a cape for Napoli as the club won the Serie A title in 2022/23.—
Henry Flynn,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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After four weeks of Venus in your sign boosting your magnetism and charm, Venus now glides into Cancer on July 30th, shifting your attention to security, self-worth, and material comfort.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
27 July 2025
Noun
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The report, released Friday, downplayed the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 election by highlighting Obama administration emails showing officials had concluded before and after the presidential race that Moscow had not hacked state election systems to manipulate votes in Trump's favor.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
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The find also hints that many other tyrannosaurs were feathery to some extent, including later giants like Gorgosaurus and T. rex.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Trump, facing outrage from many of his own supporters, has tried and failed to brush off concerns about the case.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
29 July 2025
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Republicans downplay Medicaid cuts The president and his Republican congressional allies have brushed off the health care cuts, including hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid retrenchment in the mammoth tax law.—
Noam Levey,
NPR,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sweep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweep. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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