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rug
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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈrʌg/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/rʌg/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(rug)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026rug /rʌg/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- a piece of thick fabric for covering part of a floor.
- British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]a piece of thick, warm cloth, used as a covering for the lap.
- Slang Termsa wig, toupee, or hairpiece.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026rug
(rug),USA pronunciation n.
- a thick fabric for covering part of a floor, often woven of wool and often having an oblong shape with a border design. Cf. carpet.
- the treated skin of an animal, used as a floor covering:a bear rug.
- British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]a piece of thick, warm cloth, used as a coverlet, lap robe, etc.
- Slang Termstoupee;
hairpiece.
- cut a rug, [Older Slang.]to dance, esp. to jitterbug.
- Old Norse rǫgg wool, long hairs; compare Norwegian rugga covering of coarse wool, Swedish rugg coarse hair
- 1545–55
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
rug /rʌɡ/ n - a floor covering, smaller than a carpet and made of thick wool or of other material, such as an animal skin
- chiefly Brit a blanket, esp one used as a wrap or lap robe for travellers
- slang a wig
- pull the rug out from under ⇒ to betray, expose, or leave defenceless
Etymology: 16th Century: from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian rugga, Swedish rugg coarse hair. See rag1 sweep1 /swip/USA pronunciation
v., swept/swɛpt/USA pronunciation sweep•ing, n. v. - to remove or clear (dust, dirt, etc.) with a broom, brush, etc., from (a room, floor, etc.): [~ + object]He swept the floor with a broom.[no object]He went on quietly sweeping while the customers argued.
- to (cause to) move or (cause to) be driven by or as if by some steady force, as a wind or wave: [~ + object]The storm swept the boat out to sea.[no object]She swept into the room.
- to spread quickly over or through (an area): [~ + object]The call for change in politics was sweeping the country.[no object]Those fashions swept through the country.
- to clear (a surface, place, etc.):[~ + object + of + object]to sweep the sea of enemy ships.
- to search (an area or building) thoroughly:[~ + object]The police swept the building for drug dealers.
- to pass or draw over a surface with a continuous stroke or movement:[~ + object]The painter swept a brush over his canvas.
- to direct a gaze, the eyes, etc., over (a region, area, etc.):[~ + object]The lookout's binoculars swept the horizon for enemy activity.
- to move or extend in a wide curve or circuit:[no object]His glance swept around the room.
- to win all games in a series of contests:[~ + object]The team swept the last two doubleheaders.
n. [countable]
- the act of sweeping with or as if with a broom:Give the room a good sweep.
- the steady, driving motion of something:the sweep of the wind.
- a swinging or curving movement or stroke, as of the arm or an oar.
- a continuous extent or stretch:a long sweep of empty road.
- a winning of all the games, prizes, etc., in a contest by one contestant.
- British Termschimney sweep.
Idioms
- a clean sweep:
- a thorough change, esp. by removing unwanted employees:The new commissioner promised to reform the department and make a clean sweep of the old bureaucracy.
- sweep (someone) off one's feet, [~ + object + off + one's feet] to cause (someone) to fall in love or otherwise be overwhelmed:When they met he just swept her off her feet.
sweep•er, n. [countable]
sweep2 /swip/USA pronunciation
n.
- Slang Termssweeps (def. 1).
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026sweep1 (swēp),USA pronunciation
v.t. - to move or remove (dust, dirt, etc.) with or as if with a broom, brush, or the like.
- to clear or clean (a floor, room, chimney, etc.) of dirt, litter, or the like, by means of a broom or brush.
- to drive or carry by some steady force, as of a wind or wave:The wind swept the snow into drifts.
- to pass or draw (something) over a surface with a continuous stroke or movement:The painter swept a brush over his canvas.
- to make (a path, opening, etc.) by clearing a space with or as if with a broom.
- to clear (a surface, place, etc.) of something on or in it (often fol. by of ):to sweep a sea of enemy ships.
- to pass over (a surface, region, etc.) with a steady, driving movement or unimpeded course, as winds, floods, etc.:sandstorms sweeping the plains.
- to search (an area or building) thoroughly:Soldiers swept the town, looking for deserters.
- to pass the gaze, eyes, etc., over (a region, area, etc.):His eyes swept the countryside.
- to direct (the eyes, gaze, etc.) over a region, surface, or the like:He swept his eyes over the countryside.
- Electronicsto examine electronically, as to search for a hidden listening device.
- to win a complete or overwhelming victory in (a contest):Johnson swept the presidential election of 1964.
- to win (every game, round, hand, etc., of a series of contests):The Yankees swept the three-game series.
- Music and Dance
- to pass the fingers or bow over (a musical instrument, its strings or keys, etc.), as in playing.
- to bring forth (music) thus.
v.i. - to sweep a floor, room, etc., with or as if with a broom:The new broom sweeps well.
- to move steadily and strongly or swiftly (usually fol. by along, down, by, into, etc.).
- to move or pass in a swift but stately manner:Proudly, she swept from the room.
- to move, pass, or extend in a continuous course, esp. a wide curve or circuit:His glance swept around the room.
- Nautical, Naval Termsto conduct an underwater search by towing a drag under the surface of the water.
- Aeronautics(of an airfoil or its leading or trailing edge) to project from the fuselage at an angle rearward or forward of a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.
n. - the act of sweeping, esp. a moving, removing, clearing, etc., by or as if by the use of a broom:to give the house a good sweep.
- the steady, driving motion or swift onward course of something moving with force or without interruption:the sweep of the wind and the waves.
- Electronicsan examination by electronic detection devices of a room or building to determine the presence of hidden listening devices.
- a swinging or curving movement or stroke, as of the arm, a weapon, an oar, etc.
- reach, range, or compass, as of something sweeping about:the sweep of a road about a marsh.
- a continuous extent or stretch:a broad sweep of sand.
- a curving, esp. widely or gently curving, line, form, part, or mass.
- matter removed or gathered by sweeping.
- Building, Mechanical EngineeringAlso called well sweep. a leverlike device for raising or lowering a bucket in a well.
- Nautical, Naval Termsa large oar used in small vessels, sometimes to assist the rudder or to propel the craft.
- an overwhelming victory in a contest.
- a winning of all the games, rounds, hands, prizes, etc., in a contest by one contestant.
- Sport[Football.]See end run.
- Mechanical Engineeringone of the sails of a windmill.
- Agricultureany of the detachable triangular blades on a cultivator.
- British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]a person employed to clean by sweeping, esp. a chimney sweeper.
- Games[Cards.]
- [Whist.]the winning of all the tricks in a hand. Cf. slam 2 (def. 1).
- Casino. a pairing or combining, and hence taking, of all the cards on the board.
- Physicsan irreversible process tending towards thermal equilibrium.
- 1250–1300; Middle English swepen (verb, verbal); compare Old English geswēpa sweepings, derivative of swāpan to sweep (
- Slang Termsa sweepstakes.
Also, sweeps.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sweep /swiːp/ vb (sweeps, sweeping, swept)- to clean or clear (a space, chimney, etc) with a brush, broom, etc
- (often followed by up) to remove or collect (dirt, rubbish, etc) with a brush, broom, etc
- to move in a smooth or continuous manner, esp quickly or forcibly: cars swept along the road
- to move in a proud or dignified fashion: she swept past
- to spread or pass rapidly across, through, or along (a region, area, etc): the news swept through the town
- (transitive) to direct (the gaze, line of fire, etc) over; survey
- (transitive; followed by away or off) to overwhelm emotionally: she was swept away by their kindness
- (transitive) to brush or lightly touch (a surface, etc): the dress swept along the ground
- (transitive) often followed by away: to convey, clear, or abolish, esp with strong or continuous movements: the sea swept the sand castle away, secondary modern schools were swept away
- (intransitive) to extend gracefully or majestically, esp in a wide circle: the plains sweep down to the sea
- to search (a body of water) for mines, etc, by dragging
- (transitive) to win overwhelmingly, esp in an election: Labour swept the country
- (transitive) to propel (a boat) with sweeps
- sweep something under the carpet, rug ⇒ to conceal (something, esp a problem) in the hope that it will be overlooked by others
- sweep the board ⇒
- (in gambling) to win all the cards or money
- to win every event or prize in a contest
n - the act or an instance of sweeping; removal by or as if by a brush or broom
- a swift or steady movement, esp in an arc
- the distance, arc, etc, through which something, such as a pendulum, moves
- a wide expanse or scope: the sweep of the plains
- any curving line or contour
- a long oar used on an open boat
- Austral a person steering a surfboat with such an oar
- any of the sails of a windmill
- a steady horizontal or circular movement of an electron beam across or around the fluorescent screen of a cathode-ray tube
- a curving driveway
- chiefly Brit
- clean sweep ⇒
- an overwhelming victory or success
- a complete change; purge: to make a clean sweep
Etymology: 13th Century swepen; related to Old English swāpan, Old Norse sveipa; see swipe, swoopˈsweepy adj
'rug' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: a [cotton, wool, silk, cashmere] rug, a [thick, thin, large, square, fluffy] rug, lay down an area rug in the [living room, bedroom], more... 🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "rug" in the title:
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