sweep up

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Definition

Verb (transitive): 1. To adopt or take up enthusiastically: To eagerly accept and begin to use a cause, ideology, practice, or method as one's own. 2. To involuntarily involve or engulf: To force someone or something into a particular situation, condition, or course of action, often due to larger events or circumstances.

Usage

The verb "sweep up" is typically used with an object (a person or group of people). It often describes a powerful, sometimes overwhelming, force that causes involvement or adoption.

Examples
  • Adopting an ideology/practice:
    • The new generation swept up the revolutionary ideas with great passion.
    • She was swept up by the minimalist lifestyle after reading about it.
  • Being involuntarily involved:
    • Many innocent bystanders were swept up in the political unrest.
    • He got swept up in the excitement of the crowd and started cheering.
Advanced Usage
  • Passive Voice: Very commonly used in the passive voice ("be swept up" / "get swept up") to emphasize the subject's lack of control over the situation.
    • We were completely swept up in the momentum of the project.
  • Figurative Use: While related to the literal action of cleaning, "sweep up" in this sense is almost entirely figurative, describing abstract forces like emotions, trends, or historical events.
Variants and Related Words
  • Sweep (verb): Can be used similarly in some contexts (e.g., , ), though "sweep up" often adds a sense of completeness or collection.
  • Sweeping (adjective): Describing something extensive or overwhelming (e.g., , ).
Synonyms
  • Embrace: To accept or support willingly and enthusiastically.
  • Adopt: To choose to take up or follow.
  • Engulf: To surround or cover completely, often in a destructive way.
  • Ensnare: To capture or involve, often in a tricky or inescapable situation.
  • Entangle: To cause to become twisted together with or involved in something.
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Sweep along: Very similar in meaning, emphasizing being carried forward by a force.
    • The charismatic leader swept the crowd along with his vision.
  • Drag into: To force someone to become involved in an unpleasant situation (more negative connotation).
    • Please don't drag me into your argument.
Related Idioms
  • Get caught up in: To become involved in something, often without initially intending to.
    • I got caught up in the book and lost track of time.
  • Carry away: To cause someone to become overly excited or emotional (often used in the passive: "get carried away").
    • He was carried away by his own enthusiasm.
Verb
  1. take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own
    • She embraced Catholicism
    • They adopted the Jewish faith
  2. force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action
    • They were swept up by the events
    • don't drag me into this business

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