When a person sweeps something, he or she uses a broom to clean a surface.
He’s using a broom.
simple
past
past participle
sweep
swept
swept
He’s sweeping the floor. (present continuous tense)
He sweeps the floor every day. (present tense)
He swept the floor. (past tense)
Have you swept the floor yet? (present perfect tense)
The floor was swept just a few hours ago. (past tense, passive voice)
What do you use to sweep a floor?
You can use a broom or a mop to sweep the floor.
There are a few other ways to use the word "sweep."
If a team plays another team in a series and wins all of those games, we say, "They swept the series," or "It was a sweep."
A person who quickly falls in love with another person might be swept off of his or her feet: Johnny swept Maria off of her feet, and they soon got married. (She fell in love with him very quickly.)
A large wave from the ocean can sweep a person away from the shore:The young man was swept away by a giant wave and drowned.
A chimney sweep is a person who sweeps out the inside of a chimney. He sweeps out the soot and the dirt.
