Link Centre Dictionary

sweeping

swee·ping

UK/ˈswiːpɪŋ/ US/ˈswipɪŋ/ fairly common
adjective (3) noun (1)

adjective

1.

taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination

  • “a sweeping glance”
  • “a wide-sweeping view of the river”
Similar
2.

ignoring distinctions

  • “sweeping generalizations”
  • “wholesale destruction”
Synonyms
Similar
3.

having broad range or effect

  • “had extensive press coverage”
  • “far-reaching changes in the social structure”
  • “sweeping reforms”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

the act of cleaning with a broom

Origin

By surface analysis, sweep + -ing.

Phrases

  • at a sweeping reduction
  • sweeping day
  • sweeping flood
  • sweeping rain

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.