1Clean (an area) by brushing away dirt or litter.

我已经扫过地了。

格雷格打扫了厨房。

1. 1.1with object and adverbial of direction Move or remove (dirt or litter) by brushing it away.
   扫去；清除
   she swept the tea leaves into a dustpan

   她把茶叶扫进了簸箕里。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Joe's children's mess can be swept, hoovered or mopped from its surface.
   • He bent over up swept the dirt into the dust pan and throw it into the trashcan in the bathroom.
   • The vehicle was removed by 4pm and leftover rubbish was swept away.
   • The scarab is accompanied by a man with a brush whose job is to sweep the litter into the road so that the scarab can lift it.
   • I said that I had a broom but I didn't have a pan to sweep the dirt into.
   • A huge campaign will attempt to sweep away litter and graffiti in a fresh war on crime which is expected to run for a year.
   • After it had all been sorted, the driver came over with a large whisk broom, swept the leftover detritus into the gutter, and off they went, presumably to the next reeking pile.
   • Dust emissions are likely, the application states, but this will be swept and washed away by the local authority.
   • The rocks and soil were mutilated into mush that could easily be swept away from the scene.
   • Before beginning the sanding procedure carefully sweep all dirt, dust and other debris from the floor.
   • More than 100 tons of debris that was swept into the bay by the deadly waves has been dredged by hand since the operation began in February.
   • I particularly remember a young girl sweeping the dirt in front of the pile of stones that had once been her house.
   • She didn't have a beautiful garden, but she kept the place neat and tidy, even to the point where she swept the bare dirt in her yard.
   • If necessary the surface should first be swept to remove loose stones and any build up of sand or gravel prior to testing.

   Synonyms

   remove, wash away, expel, dispose of, eliminate, get rid of

   brush, clean, clear, whisk
2. 1.2with object and adverbial of direction Move or push (someone or something) with great force.
   猛力推
   I was swept along by the crowd

   我被人群推着向前走。

   figurative Nahum's smile swept away the air of apprehensive gloom

   内厄姆的微笑一下子驱散了忐忑不安的忧伤气氛。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Then a gigantic wave came rushing towards us and we were swept along into the trees.
   • When he was canoeing from 60 Mile early one morning at break up, his canoe tipped and he was swept along among the floating ice.
   • Amidst excited cheering, Scott Parker was swept onto the shoulders of two of his teammates and raised high for all the student body to see.
   • I was swept along with the crowd and found myself genuinely delighted when Fulham went ahead.
   • Fred remembers one incident when a 50 ft narrowboat was swept by the force of the current into a tree blocking one arch of the swing bridge soon after it had left the lock.
   • She was swept into the crowd of students making their way into the building, and she let herself be.
   • He allowed the crowd to sweep him along in their stampede, helpless to do anything else, and was carried outside.
   • I was swept along to my class by the tide of students, hurrying to arrive before the next bell rang.
   • If the rig could be damaged and its contents lost, a spokeswoman for the agency asked, could not DU shells be swept away or moved from the seabed too?
   • It took me so long to process all I was seeing and hearing that the monster had me by my shoulders and was sweeping me out the door before I could say a word.
   • They did so with such energy that I was swept along as well, hardly paying attention to the jokes or the plot.
   • It became an unforgettable encounter when our raft capsized, and I was swept along powerless in its icy unbridled current.
   • She did not wish to go to the top, for she knew what would take place and had no desire to see it, but her own feelings were quelled and she was docilely swept along with the crowd.
   • The journey back downstream was even more exhilarating as the force of the water at the various cascades threatened to sweep you off your feet.
   • She was swept along in that chaos and abruptly lost track of where she was.
   • The riotous crowd around him swept him along through arcane underground tunnels to a vaulted hall.
   • I am caught up in the throng and it sweeps me along.

   Synonyms

   carry, pull, drag, drive
3. 1.3with object and adverbial of direction Brush (hair) back from one's face or upwards.
   向上（或向后）梳头发
   long hair swept up into a high chignon

   梳成高高发髻的长发。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The rest of her hair is swept up out of the way in a high ponytail.
   • She had a slim figure and silver hair that was swept up tightly into a bun.
   • The person had long, midnight black hair that was swept up in an elaborate style.
   • Her long, curling dark hair had been swept upwards into the most fashionable style as of late, pinned into place by delicate silver gems that shone in her hair.
   • Looking highly affronted, Tiffany swept her long blond hair out of her face and narrowed her eyes at him.
   • She grimaced and swept up her hair in a messy bun with one hand, whilst prodding me on the back with the other hand.
   • Her hair fell in tight blonde ringlets or was swept into an auburn chignon.
   • Her hair was swept in an elaborate coiffure, a smile playing on her lips and her eyes dancing merrily.
   • I swept my short hair up into a ponytail and tied it.
   • Her hair was swept up in a ponytail and a smile blossomed across her face when she saw him.
   • You can play with side parts that allow you to sweep the hair and clip it to the side.
   • Tilting her face upwards, she swept her long hair back, her hand skimming the stitches along her hairline.
   • She is dressed in a period costume, a high-waisted white dress with a low neck and long sleeves, with her hair swept up.
   • He swept his still damp hair out of his face, but the longish sides still fell in front.
   • Rilla knelt down behind Naila and swept the short brown hair out of the way.
   • Her hair had been swept up away from her neck, piled high on top of her head and held in place with fancy combs but a few curls hung loose around her face, framing her gorgeous eyes.
   • She is very pretty (still way too much make-up for me though) and lovely long brown/blond hair that she sweeps back into a ponytail.
   • She picked up her brush and quickly swept her long hair into a fashionable ponytail and then got up and walked over to her closet, which was brimming with clothes.
   • Her blond hair had been swept up into a sleek ponytail and she wore low riding hipster jeans with a plain white tank top.
   • She swept her long dark hair from her eyes and looked over to James for support.
4. 1.4Cricket Hit (the ball) on the leg side by bringing the bat across the body from a half-kneeling position; hit a ball delivered by (a bowler) with such a stroke.
   〔板球〕以半跪的姿势将棍棒绕过身体，在脚边打击板球；用半跪挥棒的姿势打球
   Example sentencesExamples

   • An injured Chaminda Vaas hit three boundaries in an enterprising knock of 19, before losing the ball in an attempt to sweep Banks.
   • Next, Afridi swept one powerfully over midwicket, and later in the same tonked one over wide long-on.
   • He attempted to sweep the second ball he faced, but was rapped on the pad and Asad Rauf gave him out.
   • Pietersen swept Warne off middle stump for six but it was all over when Simon Jones slogged at McGrath and was caught by Warne at first slip.
   • Eventually Bray broke at the other end, slog sweeping Gregor Maiden's medium pace to a delighted Watson at deep square-leg, out for 70.

2no object, with adverbial of direction Move swiftly and smoothly.

一辆黑色大型轿车从打开的窗子前一晃而过。

1. 2.1with object and adverbial of direction Cause to move swiftly and smoothly.
   掠过
   he swept his hand round the room

   他朝房间四周快速挥了一圈手。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Get it wrong and you can be in a current of anything up to 10 knots and, in seconds, be swept round the corner of an adjacent island, out of sight of your cover boat when you surface.
   • In a smooth motion, he swept her off her feet, carried her the short distance to the bed and laid her upon it.
2. 2.2 (of a person) move in a confident and stately manner.
   （人）昂首阔步地走
   she swept magnificently from the hall

   她昂首阔步地从大厅里走出来。

   Synonyms

   glide, sail, stride, breeze, stroll, sally, swagger, drift, flit, flounce
3. 2.3 Affect (an area or place) swiftly and widely.
   迅速蔓延（或席卷）
   the rebellion had swept through all four of the country's provinces

   叛乱席卷了该国全部4个省。

   with object violence swept the country

   暴力席卷了全国。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The classic example has been the Toronto Blessing, which came to Slovakia via the UK, and swept through many churches affecting thousands of believers.
   • Pikitup crews take to the streets of Joburg nightly to sweep, and even wash down, roads and pavements, and the new machine will be used specifically to target the worst streets.
   • Some were victims of a sudden rise in sea-level near the eye of the cyclone - known as a storm surge - that swept across low-lying land.
   • In Levenshulme hundreds of homeowners were warned to remain indoors and keep doors and windows shut after clouds of choking black smoke from a fire at a tyre depot swept across the area.
   • Also tonight, the first death in a wave of rioting and violence that has swept through France.
   • A 15-foot storm surge swept inland, destroying thousands of homes and businesses.
   • Fifty years ago, an epidemic swept across this nation affecting millions of people and lasting for many years.
   • It is for this reason that violence is sweeping through Islamic world today bringing bad name to religion of peace and compassion like Islam.
   • Tens of thousands of homes, made of bamboo and straw have been washed away by waters sweeping across 25 of Assam's 26 districts.
   • So when a flash flood swept down the valley on Sunday night, leaving the road beneath 12 ft of water, the monastic ruin in the care of English Heritage was undamaged.
   • Floods that have also swept through the neighbouring countries of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe have particularly hit Mozambique.
   • A similar fire in the same area last year swept across six miles of ground to the outskirts of Mallaig, the fishing port to the immediate north, before it was extinguished.
   • The problem first surfaced when a deluge on July 12 th 1997, swept through the Glencullen area.
   • We've been fortunate because none of the eyes' of the hurricanes have swept through our area.
   • This year, Boscastle became headline news when a devastating flood swept through the town, destroying all in its path.
   • The burning oil is believed to have swept into the area's storm water drains on Monday evening after a fire broke out at the Hursthill substation on Perth Road, near the dam.
   • Hundreds of homeowners were warned to remain indoors and keep their doors and windows shut after clouds of black smoke from a blaze at a scrap tyre depot in Levenshulme swept across the area.
   • On the morning of August 16, hundreds of soldiers surrounded and swept through areas of the northern town of Mannar and suburbs.
   • Additionally, there were the heavy rains and swollen rivers in the area that swept away mines and blurred their markings which gave rise to similarly hazardous situations for all.
   • When the last floods swept through Mozambique there was a shortage of helicopters and more lives would have been lost had it not been for the tireless work of the South African aircrews.

   Synonyms

   engulf, overwhelm, flood, flow across, surge over

   race, hurtle, streak, spread like lightning

   informal tear, whip
4. 2.4 (of a geographical or natural feature) extend continuously in a particular direction, especially in a curve.
   （地理，自然特征）延伸（尤指成一曲线）
   green forests swept down the hillsides

   绿色的森林从山坡上延伸下来。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It is here that the roaring tide of the Philippine Sea, moving northwards, meets the mighty current of the Pacific Ocean, sweeping down in the opposite direction.
   • Soaring green peaks sweep down to white sand beaches.
   • The exact moment of being in the picture was when in the far distance about 100 goats could be seen sweeping down the hillside towards the village.
   • A very cold south westerly wind from the Andes that sweeps across the pampas of Argentina and Uruguay.
   • Escape Fire refers to a 1949 tragedy in Montana in which 13 young firefighters died in a wildfire that was sweeping up a hillside.
5. 2.5North American with object Win all the games in (a series); take each of the winning or main places in (a contest or event)
   〈北美〉屡战屡胜；赢得所有的比赛
   we knew we had to sweep these three home games

   我们明白必须要赢得所有这3场主场比赛。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Cleveland threatened to break away by sweeping a three game series in the first 2001 meeting between the Indians and the Twins.
   • This realization struck Jones after last season, when he hit just .077 as the Braves were swept by the Yankees in the World Series.
   • In the 1966 World Series, the LA Dodgers played the Baltimore Orioles who swept the Series in four games.
   • In four years of head-to-head division meetings during his time as Chiefs coach, each had swept a series and split the other two.
   • San Francisco swept a four-game series against the Dodgers in June at SBC Park and has been led by - who else?
   • He was ineffective for the first two games of the Pistons' playoff series against the Heat and sat out the final game as Detroit was swept.
   • They won the pennant by 17 games and swept the Cincinnati Reds in four Series games.
   • He spurned the Cardinals to sign a four-year contract with the team that swept St. Louis in the World Series.
   • The ‘bush league’ outfit swept the A's in what still may rank as the greatest upset in Series history.
   • That point was driven home when the Giants were swept by the Astros in the first series after play resumed.
   • Given the fact that the Giants swept the supposedly superior Indians that year in the World Series made me wonder what their Spring record was like.
   • They've just been swept in three games at Dodger Stadium and are headed home to face the Giants the next night.
   • In 1966, Russo assembled the scouting report that helped the Orioles sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
   • If the Braves had been swept in the Division Series, the perception might have been the same.
   • The Rangers swept the Red Sox in a three-game series last season in Texas.
   • Denver swept the season series from Oakland last year.
   • The Heat, the lone new face in the Eastern semi-finals, also swept their first-round series, beating the Pistons in three games.
   • The Sinon Bulls were a game short of sweeping the Chinatrust Whales in their four-game series last week.
   • Though Boston swept Anaheim in the League Division Series, Guerrero was not finished.
   • His first crack last year went awry; it lasted four games because the Maple Leafs swept the Senators.

3Search (an area) for something.

侦探在房间里搜寻头发和指纹。

1. 3.1 Examine (a place or object) for electronic listening devices.
   检查（某地，某物）有无电子监听装置
   the line is swept every fifteen minutes

   每15分钟电话线就被检查一遍看有没有被监听。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Several other diplomatic offices were swept for devices as a precaution.
   • The streets were swept with electronic gadgets seeking hidden bombs.
   • Because of this, Digifone had 24-hour security, while a security firm swept the offices for listening devices every two weeks.
   • Before the election, the closed precinct is swept for bugging devices.
   • There were even suggestions the England team's hotel was swept for bugging devices during the 2003 Six Nations series.
   • Kyle had swept it for listening devices and when he said it was clear the girl had immediately blurted out a million questions.
   • Mr Brennan told the tribunal last month the meeting room was swept for electronic bugging devices before and during these presentations.
   • Prior to the movement of the bounding element, they sweep the area in the semiautomatic mode to detect the presence of enemy forces without jamming their systems.
2. 3.2 Cover (an entire area) with a gun.
   扫射
   they were trying to get the Lewis gun up behind some trees from where they would sweep the trench

   他们试图将刘易斯式机枪架高到树后，从那里向战壕扫射。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • To find the reserves, you'd have use massive manpower to cordon off the state, moving inward, sweeping every single building you came to.
   • Sergeant Irving told his squad to sweep the area.
   • In some instances, they would place antipersonnel mines in the vicinity of the IEDs in the hopes of killing soldiers sweeping the area around an IED.

1An act of sweeping something with a brush.

我正快速地扫地。

1. 1.1
   short for chimney sweep

   Example sentencesExamples

   • A good way to be sure the sweep servicing your chimney is currently Certified is to check the search engine on this website or call the CSIA office.
   • When your chimney is swept, the sweep will use the amount of soot he removes as a guide to often the chimney needs cleaning.
   • When coal fires were the norm, households would employ a sweep to ensure their chimneys were spotlessly clean.

2A long, swift curving movement.

他的手优雅地一挥。

1. 2.1Electronics The movement of a beam across the screen of a cathode ray tube.
   〔电子〕扫描
2. 2.2Cricket An attacking stroke in which the bat is brought across the body from a half-kneeling position to hit the ball to leg.
   〔板球〕以半跪姿势将棍棒绕过身体，在脚边打击板球
   Example sentencesExamples

   • It was fitting he reached his century with a sweep, his most productive stroke of the innings, before cutting loose.
   • Ponting tried a lazy sweep and merely top-edged it to Vaughan at short fine leg.
   • As long as Jaques survived Yorkshire were in with a shout but after hammering 70 from 46 balls he top-edged a sweep at Dalrymple and lobbed a catch to Weekes at leg slip.
   • Instead of staying on, he chooses to top-edge a sweep off Anil Kumble straight to fine leg, placed expressly for that shot.
   • Attempting a sweep, the ball ballooned off his left forearm but it was difficult to tell whether it brushed the glove on the way past.

3Medicine
A procedure for inducing labour in a pregnant woman, in which a medical practitioner moves a finger around within the opening of the cervix to detach the amniotic membranes.

4A comprehensive search or survey of a place or area.

警察结束了对树林的搜索。

1. 4.1often sweepsNorth American A survey of the ratings of television stations, carried out at regular intervals to determine advertising rates.
   〈北美〉电视收视率调查（用以决定广告费的多少）
   Example sentencesExamples

   • On LA Law they never intended to explore the issue of a relationship between two women; it was about ratings during sweeps so I always found it a bit cynical.
   • A two-part expose aired on our local CBS affiliate during sweeps week in May, the same week when the EEOC complaint was filed.
   • One TV critic even claimed we were doing it as a ‘craven ratings stunt for sweeps.’
   • When one impinges on the other there is an uneasy feeling - the kind which happens when unrelated TV shows crossover during the sweeps week on American television.
   • But I did the beginning of the season, and then I did some of the ending [ratings] sweeps episodes.
   • The Golden Fleece here would appear to be a Nielsen rating during sweeps.
   • CBS affiliate KPIX-TV spokesperson Akilah Monifa said that due to sweeps, no one was available to comment on the station's lack of coverage.
   • Plus, the holiday season is to retailers what the advertising rate-setting sweeps months are to TV networks.
   • Did I think that it would descend to the depths of some people suggesting we were doing this because the networks are going into a sweeps period when ratings become important?
   • And it's an accomplishment for sweeps season as well.
   • How will a little show about political aspirations compete for ratings in the 2015 sweeps season with holographic porn and Frances Bean Unplugged?
   • The ratings and the sweeps, everyone takes everything else into consideration.

5A long, typically curved stretch of road, river, country, etc.

我们可以看到一大片绵延约有100英里的田野。

1. 5.1 A curved part of a drive in front of a building.
   楼前车道的弧形部分
   one fork of the drive continued on to the gravel sweep

   车道的一个分岔一直延伸到弧形沙砾路上。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • A tree-lined driveway ends in a sweep in front of Old Hall, where there is a large front lawn and the grounds are surrounded by mature trees, secluding it almost completely.

   Synonyms

   curve, curvature, bend, arc, arch, bow, turn
2. 5.2 The range or scope of something.
   〈喻〉范围
   the whole sweep of the history of the USSR

   苏联的整段历史。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • By turning your head, you seemed to take in the whole sweep of Irish history, from the Vikings to the plantation.
   • But the whole sweep of history is to her as a closed book.
   • The narrative is part humorous, part melancholy, and at times so funny that readers have tended if anything to underrate its sombre, even tragic, sweep and range.
   • These photographs are not records of the grand sweep of history, but of ephemeral lives and relationships.
   • When ranging over a great sweep of scenery, the naked eye takes in millions of shapes, shades, and textures.
   • Surprisingly, it succeeds in its primary mission to provide the grand sweep of Indian history.
   • It's certain that the greater world would not be affected any more than would be the great sweep of history.
   • And he understood that the grand sweep of history was sometimes found in the prosaic.
   • Parasites and a whole sweep of other diseases causing micro-organisms also abound.
   • Despite all of its concern for the sweep of history and the complexities of world politics, Walk on Water is at its most persuasive in the depiction of the relationship between Eyal and Axel.
   • In the long sweep of history, there will be Iraqi kids who grow up to bring their kids to America.
   • When the festival works best, it works - like any festival in any of the arts - because it has acquired a critical mass that gives it a sweep and scope greater than the sum of its individual parts.
   • Only a select few, over the sweep of history, design what scholars term grand strategy.
   • The best biopics are ones like this, ones that don't try to tell the whole sweep of a life but rather examine one aspect.
   • In the sweep of Southeast Asian history, there has never been as driven a builder as Lee Kuan Yew.
   • Taking the cable tramway up to Villa Opicina, with its view over the whole sweep of the bay, is an excursion in itself.
   • In the sweep of history, this will be seen as a perverse act by a political party that allowed its own insecurities to undermine its best asset.
   • The first thing that comes to mind for me here is the sweep of history which the Gods embody, and the range of differing experience that people have brought to that.
   • We can look at the whole sweep of history and not just the narrow corner that some partisans wish to confine us to.
   • Diaries convey the sweep of history in the detail of eye witness testimony, while photos freeze a specific moment and capture it for posterity.

   Synonyms

   range, span, scope, compass, reach, spread, ambit, remit, gamut, orbit, spectrum, sphere, purview, limit, extent

6informal A sweepstake.

7North American An instance of winning every event, award, or place in a contest.

在世界职业棒球锦标赛中获全胜。

8A long, heavy oar used to row a barge or other vessel.

又大又重的可以用来掌舵的桨。

9A sail of a windmill.

10A long pole mounted as a lever for raising buckets from a well.