sweeping away
Brushing aside completely
Sweeping away describes removing something completely and decisively, as if with a broom's broad stroke.
The phrase often applies to abstract things—policies, objections, old ways of thinking—that are cleared out to make room for something new: The revolution swept away centuries of tradition.
It can also describe physical removal by force, as when floodwaters sweep away homes or debris.
The participle sweeping emphasizes the thoroughness and momentum of the action.
- clearingTreeless space in forest
- discardDeliberately throw out
- eradicateDestroy completely, utterly
- removalAct of taking away
- abolishOfficially end a practice
dispose · overthrow · broom · erasing · purging · oust · catharsis · clean slate · fresh start · purification · cleanse · transform · elimination · demolition · brush aside · mop · dustpan · dust bunnies
- destructiondestruction, destroying, demolishing, devastation, ruination
sweeping awaygathering
Collection of people meeting
collecting · accumulating · piling up · amassing · bringing in
sweeping awayarranging
Systematically positioning elements
tidying · organizing · sorting · ordering · neatening
sweeping awaypreserving
Protecting from deterioration
protecting · maintaining · conserving · safeguarding · keeping
sweep, sweeping, away, sweeps, swept, sweeper, sweepers, sweeped