sweeping

• Rhymes: -iːpɪŋ

sweeping

1. present participle of sweep

sweeping (countable and uncountable, plural sweepings)

1. (countable) An instance of sweeping.

   The sidewalk needed a sweeping every morning.

2. (uncountable) The activity of sweeping.

   Sweeping took all morning.

   The sidewalk needed sweeping every morning.

sweeping (comparative more sweeping, superlative most sweeping)

1. wide, broad, affecting or touching upon many things

   The government will bring in sweeping changes to the income tax system.

   He loves making sweeping statements without the slightest evidence.

   • 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, "Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders," New York Times (retrieved 21 June 2013):

     By the time politicians in several cities backed down on Tuesday and announced that they would cut or consider reducing fares, the demonstrations had already morphed into a more sweeping social protest, with marchers waving banners carrying slogans like “The people have awakened.”

2. Completely overwhelming

   He claimed a sweeping victory.

• (wide; broad): across-the-board; see also Thesaurus:comprehensive or Thesaurus:generic

• weepings