SWEEP Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'sweep' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of sweep are compass , gamut , orbit , range , and scope . While all these words mean "the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control)," sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity. // the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity

Q: When is 'compass' a more appropriate choice than 'sweep'?

In some situations, the words compass and sweep are roughly equivalent. However, compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity. // your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study

Q: When could 'gamut' be used to replace 'sweep'?

While in some cases nearly identical to sweep , gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another. // a performance that ran the gamut of emotions

Q: In what contexts can 'orbit' take the place of 'sweep'?

While the synonyms orbit and sweep are close in meaning, orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation. // within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change

Q: When might 'range' be a better fit than 'sweep'?

The words range and sweep can be used in similar contexts, but range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities. // the entire range of human experience

Q: When can 'scope' be used instead of 'sweep'?

The words scope and sweep are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible. // as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened

sweep 1 of 2

verb

ˈswēp

Definition of sweep

as in to flow

to move or proceed smoothly and readily the wind swept across the plain without respite

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to curve

to turn away from a straight line or course from this point the mountain range sweeps to the northeast and extends into the next state

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

straighten

sweep

2 of 2

noun

as in scope

an area over which activity, capacity, or influence extends Mrs. Griswold has been a teacher for so long that the sweep of her influence extends across three generations of the townspeople

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun sweep differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of sweep are compass, gamut, orbit, range, and scope. While all these words mean "the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control)," sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity.

the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity

When is compass a more appropriate choice than sweep?

In some situations, the words compass and sweep are roughly equivalent. However, compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity.

your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study

When could gamut be used to replace sweep?

While in some cases nearly identical to sweep, gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another.

a performance that ran the gamut of emotions

In what contexts can orbit take the place of sweep?

While the synonyms orbit and sweep are close in meaning, orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation.

within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change

When might range be a better fit than sweep?

The words range and sweep can be used in similar contexts, but range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities.

the entire range of human experience

When can scope be used instead of sweep?

The words scope and sweep are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible.

as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sweep

Verb

Makar was banged up heading into a Western Conference Final in which the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. — Pat Graham, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 At least 165 people have been killed, and hundreds more are missing after catastrophic floods swept through towns and valleys along the border between Nepal and China's Tibet region. — Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026

Noun

With their 11-7 win over the Tigers on Sunday, the Royals finished a three-game sweep of Detroit, a perfect 7-0 home stand and pushed their win streak to eight games. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026 Ian Happ and Pedro Ramírez each hit grand slams and had five RBIs, Pete Crow-Armstrong also homered and the Chicago Cubs blew out the Seattle Mariners 19-2 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep. — CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sweep

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweep

Verb

For the traditional Telugu Hindu ceremony, their priest translated Sanskrit to English in real time, and the mandap was designed as a circle to represent how life flows into itself for eternity.

— Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2026
Millions of people across the floodplains of the Indian subcontinent depend on the water that flows downstream.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of flow

Verb

But plenty of long-range computer models continue to show a future for the system, most as a tropical storm headed west toward the Caribbean, although plenty also show a potential track that curves north of Puerto Rico.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Several other curved, slender bones were soon found nearby, according to pictures shared with the station.

— Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of curve

Noun

But Treasury’s actions against the Islamic Republic have been modest in their scope so far.

— Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
The current implementation also takes about 69 seconds to run on an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X processor, leaving substantial scope for optimization.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of scope

Verb

Closer to home, Roman will monitor small variations in light from stars near the center of the Milky Way galaxy in order to infer the presence of rogue planets drifting between the stars.

— Don Figer, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
The other was drifting toward akolasia without noticing the drift.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of drift

Verb

Government fire investigators said the fire, which killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes, was caused by electrical arcing on Edison’s out-of-service transmission line in Eaton Canyon.

— Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Taylor dropped back three steps and arced a jump ball into the corner over Barron and into the mitts of Sheppard, who appeared to scrape both toes along the turf before the Broncos’ stopper shoved him out of bounds.

— Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of arc

Noun

Jackson faces a similar issue to some extent with his own work, which includes a Star Wars show and a Godzilla movie but also less kid-friendly titles like Den of Thieves and Cocaine Bear.

— James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Analysis from Zeki Data shows that where OpenAI and Anthropic are making gains in the AI talent market, Google DeepMind (and to some extent Meta) are stumbling.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of extent

Verb

There are lots of brands that have worked to give us beautiful soft mattes that glide onto lids and don’t feel patchy or heavy like their previous counterparts.

— Elle Turner, Glamour, 28 Aug. 2026
The way Brooks stomped, or glided, or moseyed into the end zone will be forgotten.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of glide

Noun

The quarterback struggles in camp bring into the realm of possibility Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan seeking an outside backup option off the waiver wire following roster cuts if Ewers doesn’t show rapid improvement.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026
Extended to the realm of foreign policy, this reimagination of the foundations of Western civilization demands a new and distinct grand strategy.

— Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of realm

Browse Nearby Words

sweaty

sweep

sweep (away)

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Style

“Sweep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweep. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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noun

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Synonyms of sweep

verb

noun

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Phrases Containing sweep

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Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on sweep

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

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