Talk:sweep

First definition
"To clean (a floor, etc) using a broom or brush." I find this a bit backwards. The cleaning bit is a result of the sweeping, but the sweeping refers to the motion of the brush or broom. That is, it's possible to sweep without doing any cleaning. Mglovesfun (talk) 16:18, 3 November 2010 (UTC)


 * It's possible indeed, Mglovesfun, and if one does not actually clean a surface, then I suppose the 6th, or maybe the 2nd, sense of the term is the applicable sense. But I believe it is accurate to say that one major usage of "to sweep" is to mean "to clean using a broom or brush." -- Ghost of WikiPedant 20:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)

Possible missing sense
Something like a driveway? Equinox ◑ 14:24, 23 April 2016 (UTC)


 * 1) * 1867, Once a Week (page 242)
 * He sat down to write, and occupied himself with certain papers, until there was a far-off sound of wheels: some vehicle was slowly entering the great gates; a craunch upon the gravel sweep.

Gun safety verb
I noticed this use in http://www.returnofkings.com/79748/the-fundamentals-of-gun-safety
 * you definitely should never wave the muzzle around, causing it to point at people. When done in a wide arc, it’s called “sweeping” and is very poor form that will get you asked to go home.

This seems like a notable usage that could use it's own bullet point. Any disagreement? Ranze (talk) 04:05, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

A type of sound
Is this covered, e.g. "synthesizer sweeps"? Can be noun and verb. Equinox ◑ 15:41, 12 January 2021 (UTC)

Linking verb
Often unexpected candidates serve as linking verbs—e.g.: • "The rule sweeps too *broadly [read broad .” (The writer intends not to describe a manner of sweeping, but to say that the rule is broad.)] --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:30, 23 August 2021 (UTC)