2. The compass or range of a stroke; as, a long sweep.
3. The compass of any turning body or of any motion; as, the
sweep of a door; the sweep of the eye.
4. The compass of anything flowing or brushing; as, the flood
carried away everything within its sweep.
5. Violent and general destruction; as, the sweep of an
epidemic disease.
6. Direction and extent of any motion not rectlinear; as, the
sweep of a compass.
7. Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, or the
like, away from a rectlinear line.
The road which makes a small sweep. --Sir W.
Scott.
8. One who sweeps; a sweeper; specifically, a chimney
sweeper.
9. (Founding) A movable templet for making molds, in loam
molding.
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.
11. (Refining) The almond furnace. [Obs.]
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}.]
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.
14. pl. The sweeping of workshops where precious metals are
worked, containing filings, etc.
{Sweep net}, a net for drawing over a large compass.
{Sweep of the tiller} (Naut.), a circular frame on which the
tiller traverses.
Loose balls may be swiped almost ad libitum. --R. A.
Proctor.
2. To pluck; to snatch; to steal. [Slang, U.S.]
2. A strong blow given with a sweeping motion, as with a bat
or club.
Swipes [in cricket] over the blower's head, and over
either of the long fields. --R. A.
Proctor.
3. pl. Poor, weak beer; small beer. [Slang, Eng.] [Written
also {swypes}.] --Craig.