Sweeping

How to spell sweeping

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce sweeping

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sweeping mean?

1. adjectiveExtensive and far-reaching in scope or effect.
2. verbIn the act of clearing a surface using a brush or broom.

Sweeping in a sentence

• adjective

  The new chief executive announced sweeping changes to the company structure.

• verb

  She spent the morning sweeping the kitchen floor before the guests arrived.

• adjective

  The report made sweeping recommendations across every department.

• verb

  He was sweeping the leaves off the patio when the rain started.

Where does sweeping come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the verb 'sweep', which traces back to the Old English swāpan, meaning 'to move with force in a wide arc' or 'to drive along'. That verb belonged to a family of Germanic words about broad, brushing motion, and it is related to 'swoop', which kept the sense of a single fast curving movement. Over time 'sweep' settled into the everyday meaning of clearing a floor with a brush, since that action is a series of wide arcs. The form 'sweeping' is the present participle, made by adding the familiar '-ing' ending, and by the 1600s it had also hardened into an adjective describing anything broad, extensive, or far-reaching, as in sweeping reforms. The spelling keeps the double 'e' of 'sweep', so the only real care needed is remembering that single 'p' simply takes '-ing' rather than doubling.

How the word is built

• sweep (Old English swāpan: to move broadly, to sweep)
• -ing (forming participle/adjective)