sweep up

present singular third person sweeps up · participle present sweeping up · participle past swept up · past swept up

1. ambitransitiveTo clean by sweeping.

   I'll wash the floor after sweeping up.

   1 more example

   We swept up the leaves which had blown into the shop.

2. transitiveTo transport to shore by waves.

   The only thing that frees the country from this curse is a favorable wind; this blows them into the sea, where they drown and are swept up on the beach for days afterwards in great heaps

   1897, Edmondo De Amicis, Maria Hornor Lansdale, Morocco its people and places

3. passivetransitiveusuallyTo overwhelm, to cause to become overly involved in.

   We got swept up in the excitement.