Sweep
(Sweep), n.
1. The act of sweeping.
2. The compass or range of a stroke; as, a long sweep.
3. The compass of any turning body or of any motion; as, the sweep of a door; the sweep of the eye.
4. The compass of anything flowing or brushing; as, the flood carried away everything within its sweep.
5. Violent and general destruction; as, the sweep of an epidemic disease.
6. Direction and extent of any motion not rectlinear; as, the sweep of a compass.
7. Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, or the like, away from a rectlinear line.
The road which makes a small sweep.
Sir W. Scott. 8. One who sweeps; a sweeper; specifically, a chimney sweeper.
9. (Founding) A movable templet for making molds, in loam molding.
10. (Naut.) (a) The mold of a ship when she begins to curve in at the rungheads; any part of a ship
shaped in a segment of a circle. (b) A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly
to steer them.
11. (Refining) The almond furnace. [Obs.]
12. A long pole, or piece of timber, moved on a horizontal fulcrum fixed to a tall post and used to raise
and lower a bucket in a well for drawing water. [Variously written swape, sweep, swepe, and swipe.]
13. (Card Playing) In the game of casino, a pairing or combining of all the cards on the board, and so
removing them all; in whist, the winning of all the tricks (thirteen) in a hand; a slam.
14. pl. The sweeping of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc.
Sweep net, a net for drawing over a large compass. — Sweep of the tiller (Naut.), a circular frame
on which the tiller traverses.
Sweepage
(Sweep"age) n. The crop of hay got in a meadow. [Prov. Eng.]
Sweeper
(Sweep"er) n. One who, or that which, sweeps, or cleans by sweeping; a sweep; as, a carpet
sweeper.
It is oxygen which is the great sweeper of the economy.
Huxley. 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.
Sweepings
(Sweep"ings) n. pl. Things collected by sweeping; rubbish; as, the sweepings of a street.
Sweep-saw
(Sweep"-saw`) n. A bow- saw.
Sweepstake
(Sweep"stake`) n.
