sweeper

American  

[swee-per] / ˈswi pər /

noun

1. a person or thing that sweeps. sweeps. sweep.

2. carpet sweeper.

3. a janitor.

4. any of several fishes of the family Pempherididae, of tropical and warm, temperate seas, having an oblong, compressed body.

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sweeper British  

/ ˈswiːpə /

noun

1. a person employed to sweep, such as a roadsweeper

2. any device for sweeping

   a carpet sweeper

3. informal soccer a player who supports the main defenders, as by intercepting loose balls, etc

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Etymology

Origin of sweeper

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; sweep ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

They represented shopkeepers, street sweepers, a factory owner, a canal bargeman—all people who had realized during Father’s illness what he meant to them.

From Literature

"Why do you have to meet with your team to find out whether or not you send some mine sweepers?" he added about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

From Barron's

This was the dream scenario: baseball’s very best, edgy crowd, one-run game, two outs, a title on the line—and Ohtani getting the better of his pal on a filthy 3-2 sweeper.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Dodgers scrapped his slider, mixed in a sweeper, and told him his arm was so good that he should stop trying to make perfect pitches and just let fly.

From Los Angeles Times

As the camera follows a suburban Chicago street sweeper along its early morning route, it stops at a modest house, perched on the other side of the train tracks.

From Salon

Related Words

• attendant
• custodian
• sitter
• superintendent