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

Various investigations into the JFK assassination over the years — some as recently as the 1990s — swept up classified information that dealt with intelligence gathering methods and friendly foreign governments but were not directly linked to the assassination. —Stefan Becket, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2025

Like aluminum and steel, copper is poised to be swept up in the White House trade war. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 Mar. 2025

They were powered by John Talbot, a drummer who started with the precise funk of krautrock, then got swept up in his own beat, allowing the guitarist Justin Cober and bassist Charles Masson to create noise that ebbed and flowed, making its mark only to wash away again. —Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025

But Ulmer was abruptly fired last month — swept up in the Trump administration’s frenzied and turbulent efforts to drastically shrink the federal workforce. —Suzy Khimm, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for sweep up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup