Definition

Verb: - To affect someone with a sudden, powerful, and overwhelming emotion, often causing them to lose their sense of control or reality. This typically refers to being captivated by romantic feelings or intense admiration.

Usage

This verb is used to describe the action of causing someone to be completely overcome by strong, positive emotions, especially love or infatuation. It is often used in romantic contexts. - The subject is the person or thing causing the emotional reaction. - The object is the person experiencing the overwhelming emotion. - It is commonly used in the passive voice ("to be swept off").

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "to sweep someone off their feet": This is the most common and complete idiom from which the phrasal verb is derived. It means to impress, delight, or cause someone to fall in love with you suddenly and completely.
  • The prince's goal was to sweep the princess off her feet.

Variants and Related Words

• Sweep away (verb): Can have a similar emotional meaning (to overwhelm emotionally) but can also have literal meanings (to remove or carry away with force).
  • He was swept away by the beauty of the music. (Emotional)
  • The floodwaters swept away the car. (Literal)

Synonyms

• Enchant: To fill someone with great delight or charm.
• Captivate: To attract and hold the interest and attention of someone.
• Bewitch: To enchant and delight someone.
• Overwhelm: To have a strong emotional effect on someone.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Sweep up (in): To become completely involved or absorbed in something, often an emotion or activity.
  • She was swept up in the excitement of the festival.

Related Idioms

• Head over heels in love: To be deeply and completely in love, which is the resulting state of being "swept off one's feet."
  • After their first date, he was head over heels in love.

Verb

1. overwhelm emotionally
   • Her swept her away