'Sweeping' definitions:
Definition of 'sweeping'
From: WordNet
adjective
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"
adjective
Ignoring distinctions; "sweeping generalizations"; "wholesale destruction" [syn: sweeping, wholesale]
noun
The act of cleaning with a broom
Definition of 'Sweeping'
From: GCIDE
- Sweep \Sweep\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swept; p. pr. & vb. n. Sweeping.] [OE. swepen; akin to AS. sw[=a]pan. See Swoop, v. i.]
- 1. 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. [1913 Webster]
- I will sweep it with the besom of destruction. --Isa. xiv. 23. [1913 Webster]
- 2. 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. [1913 Webster]
- The hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies. --Isa. xxviii. 17. [1913 Webster]
- I have already swept the stakes. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- 3. To brush against or over; to rub lightly along. [1913 Webster]
- Their long descending train, With rubies edged and sapphires, swept the plain. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- 4. To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion. [1913 Webster]
- And like a peacock sweep along his tail. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 5. To strike with a long stroke. [1913 Webster]
- Wake into voice each silent string, And sweep the sounding lyre. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
- 6. (Naut.) To draw or drag something over; as, to sweep the bottom of a river with a net. [1913 Webster]
- 7. To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation; as, to sweep the heavens with a telescope. [1913 Webster]
- To sweep a mold or To sweep up a mold (Founding), to form the sand into a mold by a templet, instead of compressing it around the pattern. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Sweeping'
From: GCIDE
- Sweeping \Sweep"ing\, a. Cleaning off surfaces, or cleaning away dust, dirt, or litter, as a broom does; moving with swiftness and force; carrying everything before it; including in its scope many persons or things; as, a sweeping flood; a sweeping majority; a sweeping accusation. -- {Sweep"ing*ly}, adv. -{Sweep"ing*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'sweeping'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- absolute,
- across the board,
- across-the-board,
- aleatoric,
- aleatory,
- all-comprehensive,
- all-embracing,
- all-encompassing,
- all-inclusive,
- all-out,
- all-pervading,
- amorphous,
- blanket,
- blobby,
- blurred,
- blurry,
- born,
- broad,
- broad-based,
- cataclysmic,
- catastrophic,
- catholic,
- chance,
- chancy,
- chaotic,
- clean,
- clear,
- coasting,
- compendious,
- complete,
- comprehensive,
- confused,
- congenital,
- consummate,
- debris,
- decisive,
- deep-dyed,
- diffuse,
- disordered,
- downright,
- dust,
- dyed-in-the-wool,
- egregious,
- encyclopedic,
- exhaustive,
- extensive,
- far-embracing,
- far-extending,
- far-flung,
- far-flying,
- far-going,
- far-ranging,
- far-reaching,
- flow,
- flowing,
- foggy,
- fuzzy,
- garbage,
- general,
- glide,
- gliding,
- global,
- hazy,
- hit-or-miss,
- ill-defined,
- imprecise,
- inaccurate,
- inchoate,
- incoherent,
- indecisive,
- indefinable,
- indefinite,
- indeterminable,
- indeterminate,
- indiscriminate,
- indistinct,
- inexact,
- insurrectionary,
- intensive,
- junk,
- large-scale,
- lax,
- liberal,
- litter,
- loose,
- nonspecific,
- obscure,
- omnibus,
- omnipresent,
- orderless,
- out-and-out,
- outright,
- over-all,
- overwhelming,
- panoramic,
- perfect,
- pervasive,
- plain,
- plumb,
- pure,
- radical,
- random,
- regular,
- revolutional,
- revolutionary,
- revulsionary,
- revulsive,
- rubbish,
- sailing,
- shadowed forth,
- shadowy,
- shapeless,
- sheer,
- skating,
- skiing,
- skim,
- sledding,
- slide,
- sliding,
- slipping,
- slither,
- slithering,
- stochastic,
- straight,
- sweep,
- synoptic,
- thorough,
- thoroughgoing,
- through-and-through,
- tobogganing,
- total,
- transilient,
- trash,
- ubiquitous,
- umbrella,
- unclear,
- unconditional,
- undefined,
- undestined,
- undetermined,
- universal,
- unmitigated,
- unplain,
- unqualified,
- unreserved,
- unrestricted,
- unspecified,
- utter,
- vague,
- veiled,
- veritable,
- waste,
- whole,
- wholesale,
- wide,
- wide-extended,
- wide-extending,
- wide-ranging,
- wide-reaching,
- wide-stretching,
- widespread,
- without exception,
- without omission