ENGLISH
REFERENCE

swept

v.
A2 Elementary US //ˈswɛpt// UK //swˈɛpt// swept

v. the past tense of sweep. It means to clean a floor using a brush, or to move something quickly and powerfully across an area.

v. the past tense and past participle of sweep. It describes the action of cleaning a surface with a broom or moving forcefully and rapidly over a wide area.


SIMPLE

She swept the kitchen floor after dinner.

CONTEXTUAL

The heavy rain swept across the valley, forcing the hikers to find shelter immediately.

COMPLEX

A wave of enthusiasm swept through the crowd as the candidate began to speak, transforming the previously quiet room into a scene of loud celebration.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive when referring to cleaning or clearing a space, but can be intransitive when describing movement over an area.

Pitfall

He sweeped the floorHe swept the floorSweep is an irregular verb; the past tense form is swept, not sweeped.

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