Definition

Noun: 1. A person whose job is to clean streets: A street sweeper is a worker, typically employed by a city or town's sanitation department, who manually or with equipment removes litter, dirt, and debris from public streets and sidewalks. 2. A machine used to clean streets: A street sweeper is also a vehicle or mechanical device designed to automatically clean streets by brushing and collecting waste.

Examples

• Noun (Person):
  • The street sweeper starts his route early in the morning before traffic gets heavy.
  • She thanked the street sweeper for keeping the neighborhood clean.
• Noun (Machine):
  • The city purchased a new electric street sweeper to reduce noise pollution.
  • The loud noise was the street sweeper making its weekly pass through the alley.

Advanced Usage

• "to work as a street sweeper": to have the occupation of cleaning streets.
  • He worked as a street sweeper for twenty years before retiring.
• Figurative use: Can be used metaphorically to describe someone or something that cleans up or removes unwanted elements.
  • The new manager acted as a street sweeper, clearing out inefficient old policies.

Variants and Related Words

• Street cleaning (n): The act or process of cleaning streets.
  • Street cleaning is scheduled for Wednesdays.
• Sanitation worker (n): A more general term for a worker who collects garbage and maintains public cleanliness, which can include a street sweeper.

Synonyms

• Road sweeper (n): A direct synonym, commonly used in British English.
• Crossing sweeper (n, historical): A person, especially in the 19th century, who would sweep a path across a muddy street for pedestrians for a tip.

Related Phrases

• Street-sweeping schedule (n): The posted timetable for when streets will be cleaned by mechanical sweepers, often with parking restrictions.
  • Don't forget to check the street-sweeping schedule to avoid a ticket.

Noun

1. a worker employed to clean streets (especially one employed by a municipal sanitation department)