Sweep - English meaning

noun

The fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim.

Usage examples:

Ending child labour will require action on many levels

verb

Take action on; deal with.

Usage examples:

Your request will be actioned

noun

The process of doing something, or something done, esp. for a particular purpose

Usage examples:

[ u ] quick action in calling the fire department saved many lives., [ c ] it was a reckless action…

noun

An implement with a handle and a block of bristles, hair, or wire, used especially for cleaning, applying a liquid or powder to a surface, or arranging the hair.

Usage examples:

A shaving brush

verb

Remove (dust or dirt) by sweeping or scrubbing.

Usage examples:

We'll be able to brush the mud off easily

noun

Undergrowth, small trees, and shrubs.

Usage examples:

Trees and brush alongside the fields and channels are home to birds and other wildlife

noun

A yellowish-beige colour.

Usage examples:

A buff envelope

verb

Polish (something).

Usage examples:

He buffed the glass until it gleamed

adjective

(of a person or their body) in good physical shape with well-developed muscles.

Usage examples:

The driver was a buff blond named march

verb

Demand (an amount) as a price for a service rendered or goods supplied.

Usage examples:

Wedding planners may charge an hourly fee of up to £150

noun

A price asked for goods or services.

Usage examples:

Our standard charge for a letter is £25

noun

An ambassador's deputy.

verb

Examine (something) in order to determine its accuracy, quality, or condition, or to detect the presence of something.

Usage examples:

Customs officers have the right to check all luggage

noun

An examination to test or ascertain accuracy, quality, or satisfactory condition.

Usage examples:

A campaign calling for regular checks on gas appliances

exclamation

Us spelling of cheque.

adjective

Free from dirt, marks, or stains.

Usage examples:

The room was spotlessly clean

adverb

So as to be free from dirt, marks, or unwanted matter.

Usage examples:

The room had been washed clean

verb

Make clean; remove dirt, marks, or stains from.

Usage examples:

Clean your teeth properly after meals

noun

A strip of plastic, metal, or wood with a row of narrow teeth, used for untangling or arranging the hair.

Usage examples:

This involves lifting the hair with a metal comb and burning off the ends with a lighted taper.

verb

Short for honeycomb (sense 1 of the noun).

noun

A flat piece of plastic, wood, or metal with a thin row of long, narrow parts along one side, used to tidy and arrange your hair

verb

Run or travel somewhere in a great hurry.

Usage examples:

I dashed into the garden

exclamation

Used to express mild annoyance.

Usage examples:

Dash it all, i am in charge

noun

An act of running somewhere suddenly and hastily.

Usage examples:

She made a dash for the door

verb

Perform (an action, the precise nature of which is often unspecified).

Usage examples:

Very little work has been done in this field

noun

Used before a verb (except be, can, may, ought, shall, will ) in questions and negative statements.

Usage examples:

Do you have any pets?

noun

Variant spelling of doh1.

noun

Fine, dry powder consisting of tiny particles of earth or waste matter lying on the ground or on surfaces or carried in the air.

Usage examples:

The car sent up clouds of dust

verb

Remove the dust or dirt from the surface of (something) by wiping or brushing it.

Usage examples:

I broke the vase i had been dusting

noun

Dry dirt in the form of powder that covers surfaces inside a building, or very small dry pieces of earth, sand, or other substances

Usage examples:

The furniture was covered with dust., piles of dusty books lay on the floor., [ i/t ] i was dusting…

noun

A wide continuous area of something.

Usage examples:

The green expanse of the forest

noun

A very wide space or area

Usage examples:

The vast expanse of russia

noun

A large, open area of land, water, or sky

Usage examples:

Expanse of the great plains are a broad expanse of grassland., vast expanse vast expanses of sand a…

noun

The action of exploring an unfamiliar area.

Usage examples:

Space exploration

noun

The activity of travelling to and around a place, especially one where you have never been or few people have been before, in order to find out more about it

Usage examples:

Exploration of livingstone was the first european to make an exploration of the zambezi river., spa…

noun

The activity of searching in a place in order to find a particular thing, usually something valuable

Usage examples:

Exploration for he wanted to allow more exploration for oil and gas., oil exploration our hike reve…

verb

Travel through (an unfamiliar area) in order to learn about it.

Usage examples:

He explored the fontainebleau forest

verb

To travel to a new place to learn about it or become familiar with it

Usage examples:

[ t ] they set out to explore the city., we have to explore new ways to market our products., many …

verb

To search a place and discover things about it

Usage examples:

The best way to explore the countryside is on foot., robots, rather than astronauts, explore space …

noun

The area covered by something.

Usage examples:

An enclosure ten acres in extent

noun

The area, length, or size of something

Usage examples:

Approaching the airport, you could see the full extent of the island., to some extent it was my fau…

noun

Area or length; amount

Usage examples:

The extent of we don't yet know the extent of his injuries (= how bad his injuries are)., the full …

verb

(of a bird, bat, or insect) move through the air using wings.

Usage examples:

Close the door or the moths will fly in

noun

An opening at the crotch of a pair of trousers, closed with a zip or buttons and typically covered with a flap.

Usage examples:

Interesting alternatives are velcro straps or, if the shorts fit perfectly, stylish button flies.

noun

A flying insect of a large order characterized by a single pair of transparent wings and sucking (and often also piercing) mouthparts. flies are of great importance as vectors of disease.

Usage examples:

Almost 40 years ago ed lewis discovered a remarkable fly that differs from an ordinary fly by one e…

verb

(of a person or animal) search widely for food or provisions.

Usage examples:

The birds forage for aquatic invertebrates, insects, and seeds

noun

Food such as grass or hay for horses and cattle; fodder.

Usage examples:

It may provide enough forage to delay turning cattle into spring pastures with limited growth that …

verb

To go searching, esp. for food

Usage examples:

[ i ] wild dogs roam the streets, foraging for food.

noun

A movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning.

Usage examples:

Alex made a gesture of apology

verb

Make a gesture.

Usage examples:

She gestured meaningfully with the pistol

Motion of hands or body to emphasize a thought or feeling

verb

Move with a smooth, quiet continuous motion.

Usage examples:

A few gondolas glided past

noun

A gliding movement.

Usage examples:

The cuckoo makes its approach in a hawklike glide

verb

To move easily without stopping and without effort or noise

Usage examples:

She came gliding gracefully into the ballroom in a long, flowing gown., i love my new pen - it just…

noun

A vacuum cleaner, properly one made by the hoover company.

Usage examples:

With their famous prancing horse insignia and red livery, ferraris are racing cars in the same way …

verb

Clean (something) with a vacuum cleaner.

Usage examples:

He was hoovering the stairs

proper noun

A us city in north central alabama, south of birmingham; population 71,020 (est. 2008).

verb

Pursue and kill (a wild animal) for sport or food.

Usage examples:

In the autumn they hunted deer

noun

An act of hunting wild animals or game.

Usage examples:

A bear-hunt

verb

To chase and try to catch and kill an animal or bird for food, sport, or profit

Usage examples:

Some animals hunt at night., hunt for when lion cubs are young, the mother stays with them while th…

verb

Move or cause to move at high speed, typically in an uncontrolled manner.

Usage examples:

A runaway car hurtled towards them

verb

Move with or as if with a rushing sound

verb

To move very fast, esp. in what seems a dangerous way

Usage examples:

The truck hurtled along at breakneck speed.

noun

An implement consisting of a bundle of thick loose strings or a sponge attached to a handle, used for wiping floors or other surfaces.

Usage examples:

One way of removing built up floor wax manually, is to mix detergent and ammonia with water and app…

verb

Clean or soak up liquid from (something) by wiping.

Usage examples:

She mopped the floor and cleaned out two cupboards

noun

An autumn fair or gathering at which farmhands and servants were hired.

Usage examples:

Combine these closures with the mop fair in the autumn and businesses are beginning to lose margins…

verb

Go in a specified direction or manner; change position.

Usage examples:

She moved to the door

noun

A change of place, position, or state.

Usage examples:

She made a sudden move towards me

verb

Change location

noun

An act of moving.

Usage examples:

A slight movement of the body

noun

The act or process of changing a situation or event, or of changing the way something happens or is done

Usage examples:

[ c ] there has been a movement toward smaller families., the women’s movement works for better job…

noun

A change in a number, price, etc. for example on a financial market

Usage examples:

Movements in sth short-term movements in currency are difficult to predict., this stock market repo…

adjective

Not decorated or elaborate; simple or basic in character.

Usage examples:

Good plain food

adverb

Used for emphasis.

Usage examples:

Perhaps the youth was just plain stupid

noun

A large area of flat land with few trees.

Usage examples:

The coastal plain

noun

A blunt-ended surgical instrument used for exploring a wound or part of the body.

Usage examples:

The surgeon passes the probe over the surgical site again and excises more specimen if elevated rad…

verb

Physically explore or examine (something) with the hands or an instrument.

Usage examples:

Hands probed his body from top to bottom

verb

To search into or examine something

Usage examples:

[ i ] investigators are probing into new evidence in the case., [ t ] using a special instrument, t…

noun

The action of pursuing someone or something.

Usage examples:

The cat crouched in the grass in pursuit of a bird

noun

The act of following or searching for someone or something, in order to catch or attack the person or thing

Usage examples:

[ u ] the two children ran through the field in pursuit of their puppy., the declaration of indepen…

noun

A long or arduous search for something.

Usage examples:

The quest for a reliable vaccine has intensified

verb

Search for something.

Usage examples:

He was a real scientist, questing after truth

noun

A long search for something that is difficult to find

Usage examples:

A quest for the meaning of life

noun

An implement consisting of a pole with a toothed crossbar or fine tines at the end, used especially for drawing together cut grass or smoothing loose soil or gravel.

Usage examples:

Moving the soil surface with a rake in winter will expose many slugs and their eggs to frost damage.

verb

Draw together with a rake or similar implement.

Usage examples:

I was the one who raked the leaves and cut the grass

noun

A fashionable or wealthy man of immoral or promiscuous habits.

Usage examples:

A merry restoration rake

verb

Move with urgent haste.

Usage examples:

Oliver rushed after her

noun

A sudden quick movement towards something, typically by a number of people.

Usage examples:

There was a rush for the door

noun

An erect, tufted marsh or waterside plant resembling a sedge or grass, with inconspicuous greenish or brownish flowers. widely distributed in temperate areas, some kinds are used for matting, chair seats, and baskets.

Usage examples:

Then the land went down, and there was marsh of rushes and willow and hazel.

noun

A piece of material extended on a mast to catch the wind and propel a boat or ship or other vessel.

Usage examples:

All the sails were unfurled

verb

Travel in a boat with sails, especially as a sport or recreation.

Usage examples:

Ian took us out sailing on the lake

verb

A large piece of fabric used to propel a vessel

verb

Clean or brighten the surface of (something) by rubbing it hard, typically with an abrasive or detergent.

Usage examples:

She scoured the cooker

noun

The action of scouring or the state of being scoured, especially by swift-flowing water.

Usage examples:

The scour of the tide may cause lateral erosion

verb

Subject (a place, text, etc.) to a thorough search in order to locate something.

Usage examples:

David scoured each newspaper for an article on the murder

verb

Drag or pull a hard or sharp implement across (a surface or object) so as to remove dirt or other matter.

Usage examples:

Remove the green tops from the carrots and scrape them

noun

An act or sound of scraping.

Usage examples:

He heard the scrape of his mother's key in the lock

verb

Cut the surface of; wear away the surface of

verb

Rub (someone or something) hard so as to clean them, typically with a brush and water.

Usage examples:

He had to scrub the floor

noun

An act of scrubbing something or someone.

Usage examples:

Give the floor a good scrub

noun

Vegetation consisting mainly of brushwood or stunted forest growth.

Usage examples:

A desert plain dotted with scrub

verb

Try to find something by looking or otherwise seeking carefully and thoroughly.

Usage examples:

I searched among the rocks, but there was nothing

noun

An act of searching for someone or something.

Usage examples:

The police carried out a thorough search of the premises

verb

Look or seek

noun

A continuous area or expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied.

Usage examples:

A table took up much of the space

verb

Position (two or more items) at a distance from one another.

Usage examples:

The poles are spaced 3m apart

noun

An empty place

Usage examples:

[ c ] a parking/storage space, [ u ] he was staring into space, seeing nothing., [ c ] out west the…

noun

The rate at which someone or something moves or operates or is able to move or operate.

Usage examples:

We turned on to the runway and began to gather speed

verb

Move quickly.

Usage examples:

I got into the car and home we sped

noun

(a) rate at which something moves or happens

Usage examples:

[ c ] a speed of 25 miles per hour, [ u ] both cars were traveling at high speed., [ u ] they came …

noun

A long, thin line or mark of a different substance or colour from its surroundings.

Usage examples:

A streak of oil

verb

Cover (a surface) with streaks.

Usage examples:

Tears streaking her face, cynthia looked up

noun

A mark of a color that is different from what surrounds it, or a thin strip of light

Usage examples:

Streaks of gray and black colored the marble., the comet appeared as a dazzling streak in the sky.,…

verb

(of something soft or elastic) be made or be capable of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking.

Usage examples:

My jumper stretched in the wash

noun

An act of stretching one's limbs or body.

Usage examples:

I got up and had a stretch

verb

To reach across a distance or become longer or wider, or to cause something to do this

Usage examples:

[ i ] rubber stretches when you pull it., [ t ] the banner was stretched across the street., [ m ] …

noun

An act of hitting or striking someone or something; a blow.

Usage examples:

He received three strokes of the cane

verb

Move one's hand with gentle pressure over (a surface), typically repeatedly; caress.

Usage examples:

He put his hand on her hair and stroked it

verb

A single complete movement

verb

(especially of a bird) move rapidly downwards through the air.

Usage examples:

The barn owl can swoop down on a mouse in total darkness

noun

A swooping or snatching movement or action.

Usage examples:

Four members were arrested following a swoop by detectives on their homes

verb

To move quickly in a smooth path, esp. through the air

Usage examples:

Swarms of birds swooped down from the sky., he lifted the baby up in one swoop.

verb

Pull (something) apart or to pieces with force.

Usage examples:

I tore up the letter

noun

A hole or split in something caused by it having been pulled apart forcefully.

Usage examples:

There was a tear in her dress

verb

(of the eye) produce tears.

Usage examples:

The freezing wind made her eyes tear

noun

An area of land, typically a large one.

Usage examples:

Large tracts of natural forest

noun

A short treatise in pamphlet form, typically on a religious subject.

Usage examples:

I think we all have come across religious tracts in our lives - little pamphlets that are often han…

noun

(in the roman catholic church) an anthem of scriptural verses formerly replacing the alleluia in certain penitential and requiem masses.

Usage examples:

Uses of this format, known as responsorial psalmody, include the prokeimenon and alleluiarion of th…

noun

A space entirely devoid of matter.

Usage examples:

Since by definition it contains no matter, the vacuum of space itself has no temperature.

verb

Clean with a vacuum cleaner.

Usage examples:

The room needs to be vacuumed

noun

A space without any gas or other matter in it, or a space from which most of the air or gas has been removed

Usage examples:

Edison knew that he had to create a vacuum inside the lightbulb., fig. no marriage exists in a vacu…

noun

Very great extent or size; immensity.

Usage examples:

The vastness of the atlantic ocean

noun

The quality of being extremely big

Usage examples:

The vastness of the universe

noun

A pleasing view.

Usage examples:

Sweeping lawns and landscaped vistas

noun

A view from a high position

Usage examples:

After a hard climb, we were rewarded by a vista of rolling hills.

verb

Move one's hand to and fro in greeting or as a signal.

Usage examples:

He waved to me from the train

noun

A long body of water curling into an arched form and breaking on the shore.

Usage examples:

He was swept out to sea by a freak wave

verb

(physics) a movement up and down or back and forth

verb

Move quickly through the air with a whistling or buzzing sound.

Usage examples:

The missiles whizzed past

noun

A whistling or buzzing sound made by something moving fast through the air.

Usage examples:

I can add whizzes, bangs and sparkles really easily.

noun

Someone who is very good and successful at something

Usage examples:

A whizz at/on/with sth you don't have to be a whizz at computers in this job., a computer/financial…

verb

Clean or dry (something) by rubbing with a cloth, a piece of paper, or one's hand.

Usage examples:

Paul wiped his face with a handkerchief

noun

Erase data from (a computer system or electronic or magnetic storage device).

Usage examples:

I discovered all of my hard drives had been wiped

verb

To slide something over the surface of something else, in order to remove dirt, food, or liquid

Usage examples:

Please wipe your feet before you come into the house., she gently wiped and cleaned her scraped kne…

verb

Move or travel very quickly.

Usage examples:

He jumped into his car and zoomed off

noun

A camera shot that changes smoothly from a long shot to a close-up or vice versa.

Usage examples:

As a result, instead of the clean visuals that typify the science fiction genre, we see lens flares…

exclamation

Used to express sudden fast movement.

Usage examples:

Then suddenly, zoom!, he's off