How to Use sweep away in a Sentence

sweep away

phrasal verb
Definition of sweep awaynext
  • In less than an hour, the tent city was swept away and the lawn area cleaned.
    — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2024
  • Step 2: Use a soft brush to sweep away dirt and debris on both sides of the screen.
    — Barbara Bellesi Zito, Southern Living, 27 July 2024
  • The main stage lights flicked on, sweeping away the shadows.
    — Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2023
  • The man was swept away while the woman remained trapped.
    — Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2024
  • Days of war sweep away ideas that had prevailed for decades.
    — Gregg Carlstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024
  • Because although most of the town was swept away in 1862, the church survived.
    — Christopher Cox Spencer Lowell, New York Times, 22 June 2023
  • The flood killed 300 people and swept away homes, businesses and bridges.
    — Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 4 May 2024
  • But admirers saw in it the mark of an artist swept away by his music.
    — Emily Langer, Washington Post, 15 July 2023
  • Bul and Dau Mabil were swept away by the winds of a brutal civil war and famine, landing in the U.S. in the early 2000s.
    — Trymaine Lee, NBC News, 19 Apr. 2024
  • If someone’s car was swept away, would that be covered?
    — Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2024
  • They also can be swept away in the downpour, since ants, like most insects, can float.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
  • Last year, two dams collapsed and swept away thousands in the eastern city of Derna.
    — Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
  • That front drops the humidity and sweeps away rain chances for Friday and the weekend.
    — Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
  • Has there ever been anyone in the history of earth who has swept away as many leaves?
    — Hazlitt, 24 Jan. 2024
  • His father, Steve, is feared to have been swept away in the fast-moving Nolichucky River.
    — NBC News, 3 Oct. 2024
  • An unknown number of homes that run on oil had their fuel tanks swept away.
    — Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2023
  • On Monday, a bridge collapsed and a bus was swept away by flooding, killing dozens of people.
    — Hau Dinh and David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024
  • He was swept away a mile downstream, where he was found unconscious.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 25 May 2024
  • When the mat gets dirty, the brand recommends sweeping away any debris and rinsing it down with a hose.
    — Amanda Constantine, Good Housekeeping, 21 June 2023
  • Muñoz’s son and his friend got to safety, but Fernández struggled in the current and was swept away.
    — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 July 2023
  • Creeks jumped their banks and swept away entire neighborhoods in a matter of hours.
    — Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 17 Sep. 2024
  • If the fossils are not collected in time, they can be swept away during the rainy season.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Mar. 2024
  • He was then swept away by a current, police told the newspaper.
    — Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 28 Oct. 2023
  • The man, age 26, was swept away by floodwaters in the capital, Kingston, on Wednesday evening.
    — Patrick Smith, NBC News, 4 July 2024
  • It's believed they were caught by surprise and swept away by a rushing wall of water, the release states.
    — Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 23 May 2023
  • Make sure the toothbrush is clean and dry, then brush in one direction over the pilly section to gently loosen and sweep away the pills.
    — Christina Pérez, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2024
  • Photos and videos from the province show roads turned into raging rivers, and homes and bridges being swept away.
    — Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
  • The 10-year-old boy who was swept away in a storm drain in Tennessee on May 8 has died, according to his father.
    — Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 19 May 2024
  • Score a table under the string lights on Sorella’s charming patio and you’ll be swept away.
    — Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2024
  • For indoor brick, keep it simple by trying a slightly damp brush to sweep away stubborn dirt.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sweep away.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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