Sweep vs. Sway
Sweep and Sway Definitions
Sweep
To clean or clear, as of dirt, with a broom or brush
Sweep a chimney.
Sway
To swing back and forth or to and fro.
Sweep
To clear away with a broom or brush
Swept snow from the steps.
Sway
To incline or bend to one side; veer
She swayed and put out a hand to steady herself.
Sweep
To clear (a path or space) with a broom or brush.
Sway
To incline toward change, as in opinion or feeling
He swayed toward trying out for the chorus.
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Sweep
To search thoroughly
The counselors swept the dormitory during the fire drill.
Sway
To fluctuate, as in outlook.
Sweep
To search for and remove (electronic eavesdropping devices) from a place
Swept the room for bugs.
Sway
To cause to swing back and forth or to and fro
The breeze swayed the wheat.
Sweep
To touch or brush lightly, as with a trailing garment
Willow branches sweeping the ground.
Sway
To cause to incline or bend
The wind swayed the trees toward the house.
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Sweep
To pass over or through a surface or medium with a continuous movement
He swept the sponge over the tile. The conductor swept her baton through the air.
Sway
To exert influence or control over
His speech swayed the voters.
Sweep
To clear, drive, or convey with relentless force
The flood waters swept away everything in their path.
Sway
(Nautical) To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.
Sweep
To wipe out at a single stroke. Often used with away
The incident in effect swept away all her dreams.
Sway
To rule or govern.
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Sweep
To remove or carry off with a swift brushing motion
Swept the cards off the table.
Swept the child into his arms.
Sway
To wield, as a weapon or scepter.
Sweep
To move across or through swiftly or broadly
News of the lunar landing swept the country.
Sway
The act of moving from side to side with a swinging motion.
Sweep
To pass quickly across, as when searching
His gaze swept the horizon.
Sway
Influence or control
The mayor has a lot of sway in our town.
Sweep
To drag the bottom of (a body of water).
Sway
The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.
Sweep
To win all games in (a series) or all stages of (a contest)
Swept the World Series.
Sway
A rocking or swinging motion.
The old song caused a little sway in everyone in the room.
Sweep
To win overwhelmingly in
The opposition party swept the election.
Sway
Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side
I doubt I'll hold much sway with someone so powerful.
Sweep
To clean or clear a surface with a broom or brush.
Sway
Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.
Sweep
To search an area for something.
Sway
Rule; dominion; control; power.
Sweep
To search for and remove electronic eavesdropping devices.
Sway
A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.
Sweep
To move swiftly or broadly
The wind swept over the plain.
Sway
The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's lateral motion.
Sweep
To move swiftly in a lofty manner, as if in a trailing robe
She swept by in silence.
Sway
To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.
Sway to the music
The trees swayed in the breeze.
Sweep
To trail, as a long garment.
Sway
To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield.
To sway the sceptre
Sweep
To extend gracefully, especially in a long curve
The hills sweep down to the sea.
Sway
To influence or direct by power, authority, persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. Compare persuade.
Do you think you can sway their decision?
Sweep
To extend in a wide range
Searchlights swept across the sky.
Sway
To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; warp.
Reeds swayed by the wind
Judgment swayed by passion
Sweep
A clearing out or removal with a broom or brush.
Sway
(nautical) To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.
To sway up the yards
Sweep
A thorough search of an area
A police sweep for drug dealers.
Sway
To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.
Sweep
A search for and removal of electronic eavesdropping devices, as in a room.
Sway
To have weight or influence.
Sweep
A wide curving motion
A sweep of the arm.
Sway
To bear sway; to rule; to govern.
Sweep
A curve or contour that resembles the path of sweeping motion
The sweep of her hair.
Sway
To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield; as, to sway the scepter.
As sparkles from the anvil rise,When heavy hammers on the wedge are swayed.
Sweep
An extent or stretch
A sweep of green lawn.
Sway
To influence or direct by power and authority; by persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide.
The will of man is by his reason swayed.
She could not sway her house.
This was the raceTo sway the world, and land and sea subdue.
Sweep
Range or scope
The broad sweep of history.
Sway
To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; warp; as, reeds swayed by wind; judgment swayed by passion.
As bowls run true by being madeOn purpose false, and to be swayed.
Let not temporal and little advantages sway you against a more durable interest.
Sweep
(Football) An end run in which one or more linemen leave the line of scrimmage and block in advance of the ball carrier.
Sway
To hoist; as, to sway up the yards.
Sweep
One who sweeps, especially a chimney sweep.
Sway
To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.
The balance sways on our part.
Sweep
Sweeps Sweepings.
Sway
To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward.
Sweep
The winning of all stages of a game or contest.
Sway
To have weight or influence.
The example of sundry churches . . . doth sway much.
Sweep
An overwhelming victory or success.
Sway
To bear sway; to rule; to govern.
Hadst thou swayed as kings should do.
Sweep
A long oar used to propel a boat.
Sway
The act of swaying; a swaying motion; the swing or sweep of a weapon.
With huge two-handed sway brandished aloft.
Sweep
A long pole attached to a pivot and used to raise or lower a bucket in a well.
Sway
Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side; as, the sway of desires.
Sweep
Sweeps (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Informal Sweepstakes.
Sway
Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.
ExpertWhen to advance, or stand, or turn the swayOf battle.
Sweep
Sweeps The period each fall, winter, and spring when television ratings are accrued and studied and advertising rates are reset.
Sway
Rule; dominion; control.
When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway,The post of honor is a private station.
Sweep
The national survey of local stations that is conducted to determine these ratings.
Sway
A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.
Sweep
The steady motion of an electron beam across a cathode-ray tube.
Sway
Controlling influence
Sweep
(transitive) To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.
To sweep a floor, the street, or a chimney
Sway
Pitching dangerously to one side
Sweep
(intransitive) To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
The wind sweeps across the plain.
The offended countess swept out of the ballroom.
Sway
Move back and forth or sideways;
The ship was rocking
The tall building swayed
She rocked back and forth on her feet
Sweep
(transitive) To search (a place) methodically.
Sway
Move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner;
He swung back
Sweep
To travel quickly.
Sway
Win approval or support for;
Carry all before one
His speech did not sway the voters
Sweep
(cricket) To play a sweep shot.
Sway
Cause to move back and forth;
Rock the cradle
Rock the baby
The wind swayed the trees gently
Sweep
(curling) To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less.
Sweep
To move something in a long sweeping motion, as a broom.
Sweep
To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
Sweep
To defeat (a team) in a series without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
Sweep
(military) To clear (a body of water or part thereof) of mines.
The channel was swept twice before the battlefleet proceeded through it.
Sweep
(transitive) To remove something abruptly and thoroughly.
She swept the peelings off the table onto the floor.
The wind sweeps the snow from the hills.
The flooded river swept away the wooden dam.
Sweep
To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.
Sweep
To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion.
Sweep
To strike with a long stroke.
Sweep
(rowing) To row with one oar to either the port or starboard side.
Sweep
(nautical) To draw or drag something over.
To sweep the bottom of a river with a net
Sweep
To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation.
To sweep the heavens with a telescope
Sweep
To vacuum a carpet or rug.
Sweep
A single action of sweeping.
Give the front steps a quick sweep to get rid of those fallen leaves.
Sweep
The person who steers a dragon boat.
Sweep
A person who stands at the stern of a surf boat, steering with a steering oar and commanding the crew.
Sweep
A chimney sweep.
Sweep
A methodical search, typically for bugs electronic listening devices.
Sweep
(cricket) A batsman's shot, played from a kneeling position with a swinging horizontal bat.
Bradman attempted a sweep, but in fact top edged the ball to the wicket keeper
Sweep
A lottery, usually on the results of a sporting event, where players win if their randomly chosen team wins.
Jim will win fifty dollars in the office sweep if Japan wins the World Cup.
Sweep
A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland.
Sweep
(aviation) The degree to which an aircraft's wings are angled backwards (or, occasionally, forwards) from their attachments to the fuselage.
The MiG-17's inner wing has 45 degrees of sweep.
Sweep
(martial arts) A throw or takedown that primarily uses the legs to attack an opponent's legs.
Sweep
Violent and general destruction.
The sweep of an epidemic disease
Sweep
(metalworking) A movable template for making moulds, in loam moulding.
Sweep
(card games) In the game casino, the act of capturing all face-up cards from the table.
Sweep
The compass of any turning body or of any motion.
The sweep of a door; the sweep of the eye
Sweep
Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, etc. away from a rectilinear line.
Sweep
A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly to steer them.
Sweep
(rowing) A rowing style in which each rower rows with oar on either the port or starboard side.
I am primarily a sweep rower.
Sweep
The almond furnace.
Sweep
A long pole, or piece of timber, moved on a horizontal fulcrum fixed to a tall post and used to raise and lower a bucket in a well for drawing water.
Sweep
Any of the blades of a windmill.
Sweep
(in the plural) The sweepings of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc.
Sweep
Any of several sea chubs in the family Kyphosidae (subfamily Scorpidinae).
Sweep
An expanse or a swath, a strip of land.
Sweep
To pass a broom across (a surface) so as to remove loose dirt, dust, etc.; to brush, or rub over, with a broom for the purpose of cleaning; as, to sweep a floor, the street, or a chimney. Used also figuratively.
I will sweep it with the besom of destruction.
Sweep
To drive or carry along or off with a broom or a brush, or as if with a broom; to remove by, or as if by, brushing; as, to sweep dirt from a floor; the wind sweeps the snow from the hills; a freshet sweeps away a dam, timber, or rubbish; a pestilence sweeps off multitudes.
The hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies.
I have already swept the stakes.
Sweep
To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.
Their long descending train,With rubies edged and sapphires, swept the plain.
Sweep
To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion.
And like a peacock sweep along his tail.
Sweep
To strike with a long stroke.
Wake into voice each silent string,And sweep the sounding lyre.
Sweep
To draw or drag something over; as, to sweep the bottom of a river with a net.
Sweep
To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation; as, to sweep the heavens with a telescope.
Sweep
To clean rooms, yards, etc., or to clear away dust, dirt, litter, etc., with a broom, brush, or the like.
Sweep
To brush swiftly over the surface of anything; to pass with switness and force, as if brushing the surface of anything; to move in a stately manner; as, the wind sweeps across the plain; a woman sweeps through a drawing-room.
Sweep
To pass over anything comprehensively; to range through with rapidity; as, his eye sweeps through space.
Sweep
The act of sweeping.
Sweep
The compass or range of a stroke; as, a long sweep.
Sweep
The compass of any turning body or of any motion; as, the sweep of a door; the sweep of the eye.
Sweep
The compass of anything flowing or brushing; as, the flood carried away everything within its sweep.
Sweep
Violent and general destruction; as, the sweep of an epidemic disease.
Sweep
Direction and extent of any motion not rectlinear; as, the sweep of a compass.
Sweep
Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, or the like, away from a rectlinear line.
The road which makes a small sweep.
Sweep
One who sweeps; a sweeper; specifically, a chimney sweeper.
Sweep
A movable templet for making molds, in loam molding.
Sweep
The mold of a ship when she begins to curve in at the rungheads; any part of a ship shaped in a segment of a circle.
Sweep
The almond furnace.
Sweep
A long pole, or piece of timber, moved on a horizontal fulcrum fixed to a tall post and used to raise and lower a bucket in a well for drawing water.
Sweep
In the game of casino, a pairing or combining of all the cards on the board, and so removing them all; in whist, the winning of all the tricks (thirteen) in a hand; a slam.
Sweep
The sweeping of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc.
Sweep
A wide scope;
The sweep of the plains
Sweep
Someone who cleans soot from chimneys
Sweep
Winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge
Sweep
A long oar used in an open boat
Sweep
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running around the end of the line
Sweep
A movement in an arc;
A sweep of his arm
Sweep
Sweep across or over;
Her long skirt brushed the floor
A gasp swept cross the audience
Sweep
Move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions;
The diva swept into the room
Shreds of paper sailed through the air
The searchlights swept across the sky
Sweep
Sweep with a broom or as if with a broom;
Sweep the crumbs off the table
Sweep under the bed
Sweep
Force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action;
They were swept up by the events
Don't drag me into this business
Sweep
To cover or extend over an area or time period;
Rivers traverse the valley floor
The parking lot spans 3 acres
The novel spans three centuries
Sweep
Clean by sweeping;
Please sweep the floor
Sweep
Win an overwhelming victory in or on;
Her new show dog swept all championships
Sweep
Cover the entire range of
Sweep
Make a big sweeping gesture or movement
