sweep away
phrasal verb
swept away; sweeping away; sweeps away
: to destroy or remove (something) completely
Floods swept away several houses.
His performance today swept away any doubts about his ability to play.
Examples of sweep away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Others were harder to discern, like a boy being swept away by a tornado, or homeless men being inserted into people’s homes.
—
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
On August 2, a 9-year-old German girl who was visiting the beach with her father and sister died after being swept away by one of these dangerous waves.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
The series even goes out of its way to sweep away criticism of the military.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Twenty-four people were rescued from two homes that had been swept away in Kwigillingok.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweep away
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.
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
On August 2, a 9-year-old German girl who was visiting the beach with her father and sister died after being swept away by one of these dangerous waves.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
The series even goes out of its way to sweep away criticism of the military.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Twenty-four people were rescued from two homes that had been swept away in Kwigillingok.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweep away
Cite this Entry
“Sweep away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweep%20away. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share