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sweeping

/ˈswipɪŋ/
/ˈswipɪŋ/
IPA guide

Other forms: sweepings

Something that's sweeping is wide-ranging or thorough. A political candidate might campaign on promises to bring sweeping change to a country.

Sweeping things can be extensive, like the sweeping powers a president has in a dictatorship, or curving, like the sweeping motion a dancer makes with his arm. Sweeping can also mean "overly broad," so if you make a sweeping generalization, you take a general idea or rule and apply it too widely, without allowing any exceptions to it.

Definitions of sweeping
  1. 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”
    synonyms:
    broad, wide
    having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
  2. adjective
    broad in scope or content
  3. adjective
    ignoring distinctions
    sweeping generalizations”
    synonyms: wholesale
    indiscriminate
    not marked by fine distinctions
  4. noun
    the act of cleaning with a broom
    see moresee less
    type of:
    cleaning, cleansing, cleanup
    the act of making something clean
Pronunciation
US
/ˈswipɪŋ/
UK
/ˈswipɪŋ/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘sweeping'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of gold-punch.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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