ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sweeping

n.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈswipɪŋ// UK //swˈiːpɪŋ// sweep·ing

n. affecting many things or people at once. You use this to describe a change or a statement that is very broad and has a big impact.

n. wide-ranging or thorough in scope; having a broad and significant impact. Often describes changes, reforms, or generalisations.


SIMPLE

The government announced sweeping changes to the tax laws.

CONTEXTUAL

The new CEO implemented sweeping reforms to improve the company's efficiency and reduce waste.

COMPLEX

The historian's sweeping generalisations about the era were criticised for ignoring the nuanced experiences of the working class in favour of a broad political narrative.

Synonyms
Origin

By surface analysis, sweep + -ing.

Usage

Typically placed before the noun it modifies.

Pitfall

the sweeping of changesthe sweeping changesWhen used to mean 'wide-ranging', it is an adjective and should not be used as a noun with 'of'.

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