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View synonyms for

sweeping

[ swee-ping ]

adjective

  1. of wide range or scope.

    Synonyms: , ,

  2. moving or passing about over a wide area:

    a sweeping glance.

  3. moving, driving, or passing steadily and forcibly on.
  4. (of the outcome of a contest) decisive; overwhelming; complete:

    a sweeping victory.



noun

  1. the act of a person or thing that sweeps. sweeps. sweep.
  2. sweepings, matter swept swept sweep out or up, as dust, refuse, etc.

sweeping

/ ˈɾːɪŋ /

adjective

  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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈɱ辱Բ, adverb
  • ˈɱ辱ԲԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ɱiԲ· adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sweeping1

First recorded in 1470–80; sweep 1 + -ing 2, -ing 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And it won a permanent injunction to block sweeping cuts to National Institutes of Health funding for research at institutions across the country, though the administration has said it will appeal the ruling.

From

Germany's defence minister has warned Ukraine not to agree to a deal which involves sweeping territorial concessions in return for a ceasefire with Russia.

From

Civil rights lawyers warn that some migrants are being deported without due process, sweeping up the innocent among the "killers and thugs" that Trump says are being targeted.

From

Even into the 1980s, sweeping villagization reforms in Tanzania and Ethiopia were zealously undertaken with an ideological goal of modernization and efficiency, leading to similarly bloody consequences.

From

Beijing said its restrictions on rare earths were in response to Trump's sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, currently at 145%.

From

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sweep handsweepings