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to clean a surface by brushing away dirt or debris with a broom or similar tool
He swept the leaves off the porch after the storm.
He used a broom to remove leaves from the porch after the storm.
Commonly used in household cleaning contexts.
to move or clear something away with a broad motion
The wind swept the papers off the desk.
The wind blew the papers off the desk in a broad motion.
Can be used metaphorically to describe a wide or sudden movement.
to win all the games or events in a competition
The team swept the series by winning all three matches.
The team won all three matches in the series.
Used in sports to describe a complete victory.
'Sweep' is often used with 'the floor', 'the room', or 'away' to describe cleaning or removing something completely.
The past tense and past participle of 'sweep' are both 'swept' (e.g., 'She swept the floor yesterday.').
Old English 'swēpan', from Proto-Germanic 'swēpanan', meaning 'to sweep'. Related to Old Norse 'svǽfa' and Dutch 'zwiepen'.
The verb 'sweep' can be used both literally (cleaning) and metaphorically (winning all games, clearing away). The past tense and past participle are both 'swept'.