Sweep \Sweep\, n.
1. The act of sweeping.
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2. The compass or range of a stroke; as, a long sweep.
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3. The compass of any turning body or of any motion; as, the
sweep of a door; the sweep of the eye.
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4. The compass of anything flowing or brushing; as, the flood
carried away everything within its sweep.
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5. Violent and general destruction; as, the sweep of an
epidemic disease.
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6. Direction and extent of any motion not rectlinear; as, the
sweep of a compass.
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7. Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, or the
like, away from a rectlinear line.
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The road which makes a small sweep. --Sir W.
Scott.
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8. One who sweeps; a sweeper; specifically, a chimney
sweeper.
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9. (Founding) A movable templet for making molds, in loam
molding.
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10. (Naut.)
(a) The mold of a ship when she begins to curve in at the
rungheads; any part of a ship shaped in a segment of
a circle.
(b) A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel
them and partly to steer them.
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11. (Refining) The almond furnace. [Obs.]
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12. A long pole, or piece of timber, moved on a horizontal
fulcrum fixed to a tall post and used to raise and lower
a bucket in a well for drawing water. [Variously written
swape, sweep, swepe, and swipe.]
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13. (Card Playing) In the game of casino, a pairing or
combining of all the cards on the board, and so removing
them all; in whist, the winning of all the tricks
(thirteen) in a hand; a slam.
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14. pl. The sweeping of workshops where precious metals are
worked, containing filings, etc.
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Sweep net, a net for drawing over a large compass.
Sweep of the tiller (Naut.), a circular frame on which the
tiller traverses.
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