sweeper

noun

sweep·​er ˈswē-pər How to pronounce sweeper (audio)
1
: one that sweeps
2
: a lone back in soccer who plays between the line of the defenders and the goal

Examples of sweeper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The first heavy-duty electric vehicles — two street sweepers and a firetruck — are slated to arrive this year. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2024 The officers discover the sweeper has an outstanding warrant for arson, and proceed to arrest him. Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024 That engine may be turbocharged, but the extra power from the electric configuration means instant throttle response, even coming out of high-speed sweepers on the track. Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 The sweeper, which Marsh developed last season, registered seven swings and four whiffs, per Baseball Savant. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024 The chimney sweeper’s eldest boy, Hans Petter (Hadrian Jenum Skaaland), gets into trouble at school for asking what other students’ parents earn. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024 As a reliever, Puk almost exclusively threw a four-seam fastball and sweeper. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 This offseason, Singer is working on a sweeper and a variation of a split-changeup (a changeup thrown with a splitter grip) to add to his arsenal. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 Feb. 2024 Recapping the action across the Pac-12 … Theme of the week I: The sweepers The fourth weekend of conference play produced three sweeps, with all three coming at home, naturally. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sweeper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sweeper was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near sweeper

Cite this Entry

“Sweeper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweeper. Accessed 20 May. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on sweeper

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!