sweep 1 of 2

1
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

sweep

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun sweep differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of sweep are compass, gamut, orbit, range, and scope. While all these words mean "the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control)," sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity.

the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity

When is compass a more appropriate choice than sweep?

In some situations, the words compass and sweep are roughly equivalent. However, compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity.

your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study

When could gamut be used to replace sweep?

While in some cases nearly identical to sweep, gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another.

a performance that ran the gamut of emotions

In what contexts can orbit take the place of sweep?

While the synonyms orbit and sweep are close in meaning, orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation.

within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change

When might range be a better fit than sweep?

The words range and sweep can be used in similar contexts, but range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities.

the entire range of human experience

When can scope be used instead of sweep?

The words scope and sweep are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible.

as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sweep
Verb
Ready For a Challenge A figure designated as Fate here shadows Carmen, sweeping the floor with a ruffled train and sporting a skull mask, the golden horns of a bull at the end of his arms. Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025 When the deadly Camp Fire swept through communities near his home in Lovelock in 2018, Rod Hass had only one means of communication — his old but reliable landline telephone. Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
But the rally fell short — the Red Sox later added an insurance run and avoided the sweep, winning 3-1. Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 Having lost five of six and looking to avoid an embarrassing three-game sweep to one of the worst teams in baseball, the Red Sox handed the ball to their ace and Crochet delivered. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sweep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweep
Verb
  • The liquor flows so freely that the rest room nearly becomes a vomitorium.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The rich sat on deck while the poor were squeezed in the hold below, with no place to relieve themselves, so excrement, vomit, and other wastes flowed down into the lower areas.
    Lauren Vuong, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Concave tiles, which curve inward, and convex tiles, which curve outward, are installed at different levels along the seawall.
    Sara Pezeshk, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
  • After completing Slither Housing in 2000, an angular yet gently curved 105-unit apartment building in Japan’s Gifu prefecture, the husband-and-wife team increasingly turned its attentions to cultural architecture.
    Oscar Holland, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Last year, for example, the mission team shifted the scope into one-gyro mode after yet another of the devices failed.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • This identifies patterns in scope, team composition, timelines and customer feedback to reveal success or failure predictors.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Texas officials disputed Mexico’s claim that the bodies were tangled in the buoys and said only one body was found and that the person drowned upstream and drifted downstream toward the buoys.
    Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 16 Apr. 2025
  • One of the reasons the forward P/E did not fall as much as trailing P/Es is that earnings estimates drifted lower, Clissold noted.
    Yun Li, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • There are no washes of synths or arcing guitars, no treacly cues from Snow Patrol or the Frey.
    Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2025
  • These arcing shots aren’t lobs — the intention is not to hit the ball over a player.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Fifteen speakers lurk behind acoustic fabric; nine sit directly behind a woven French Screen Research surface that lets full-range frequencies glide through untouched.
    Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The stick itself also glides onto the skin very easily without slipping or getting caught in drier or harder-to-reach areas of the face.
    Danielle Jackson, Glamour, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The protests signal the extent of public alarm over some of Trump's executive actions and cuts to federal government.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
  • There, McVeigh was booked and saw on TV the extent of the devastation.
    Erin Jensen, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • For example, brush your teeth with the opposite hand, take a new route to work or order a new dish.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Meet the candidates April 21, 2025 With Trump back in the White House and the economy on the skids, Democrats will surely brush off their familiar playbook and seek to turn the governor’s race into a referendum on the unpopular president.
    Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sweep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweep. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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