sweep up

phrasal verb

swept up; sweeping up; sweeps up

1

: to remove dust, dirt, etc., from (something) by using a broom or brush

When I was sweeping up, I found an earring that I had lost.

Can you please sweep up the porch?

2

: to remove (something, such as dust, dirt, etc.) from a surface by using a broom or brush

She swept up the broken glass.

3

: to pick up (someone or something) in one quick, continuous motion

She swept the baby up and carried her to the crib.

4

: to brush or pull (hair) away from the face

—usually used as be swept up

Her hair was swept up in a bun.

Examples of sweep up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As police cleared out Times Square so the city Department of Sanitation could sweep up all the New Year’s confetti, cops were called to W. 137th St. and Lenox Ave. —Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2025

Luckily, she's swept up by In-ho and Gi-hun before the clock runs out. —Esther Kang, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024

Protesters aren’t just swept up during protests; since July, the authorities have plucked low-profile demonstrators from their homes days after they were seen on the street. —Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2024

As such, Rubio, if confirmed, may amplify and strengthen this unit instead of letting it be swept up in broad, uniform cuts across the State Department. —Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024