as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
some priceless works of literature were swept away when the library at Alexandria burned
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweep (away)
Verb
-
Measles is a disease that has been considered largely eradicated in the United states for more than 20 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
14 Mar. 2025 -
The president signed an executive order in January that would help eradicate DEI programs across the federal government, with Cabinet members carrying out the order in various ways.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
That’s the short list of what this state’s brilliant educational minds, who are clearly raising absolutely no teenage boys, expect to erase.—
Pat Beall,
Orlando Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Time travel stories often feature grim themes of destruction and butterfly effect scenarios where even a single change can lead to disastrous outcomes (like Marty almost erasing himself from existence in Back to the Future).—
Hayes Madsen,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Yet even as years’ worth of political backlash has drowned out calls to defund or abolish forces, perceptions of police shaped by tragedies like George Floyd and Uvalde aren’t so easily forgotten.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
12 Mar. 2025
-
But the administration's efforts to abolish federal agencies authorized by Congress are likely to meet the same fate as their attempts to stiff USAID contractors.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Residents of states that have been impacted by this weekend's storms have posted photos online showing their homes destroyed by the tornadoes, with roofs fallen completely off, walls caved in and debris on lawns.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Taking on the role of a teenage boy named Chrono, players have to travel through time and assemble a team to stop a horrifying creature named Lavos from destroying the world.—
Hayes Madsen,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The rout extended a miserable month for markets that has seen all three major indexes wipe out their gains since the US presidential election in November.—
John Towfighi,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
-
His total net worth is down $121 billion from its peak in December, when the company had a market capitalization well in excess of $1 trillion — the gains of a post-election rally wiped out entirely, with the stock price tumbling 38 percent just since Trump’s inauguration.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Sweep (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweep%20%28away%29. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share