sweeper
Americannoun
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a janitor.
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any of several fishes of the family Pempherididae, of tropical and warm, temperate seas, having an oblong, compressed body.
noun
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a person employed to sweep, such as a roadsweeper
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any device for sweeping
a carpet sweeper
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informal soccer a player who supports the main defenders, as by intercepting loose balls, etc
Etymology
Origin of sweeper
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; sweep 1, -er 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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 • Mar. 5, 2026
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 • Mar. 3, 2026
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 • Feb. 28, 2026
The driver of the road sweeper, whose vehicle fell down the sinkhole, was unharmed.
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026
Coach had his window down and was talking to Mr. Jefferson, the neighborhood sweeper.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
