sweep over
Definition
Verb: 1. To affect someone suddenly and powerfully: To overcome or overwhelm a person, typically with a strong emotion, sensation, or idea.
Usage
This verb describes a sudden, intense, and often uncontrollable experience that takes hold of a person. It is used when an emotion, feeling, or perception is so strong it seems to wash over and dominate an individual. It is often used in literary or descriptive contexts.
Examples
- A wave of nostalgia swept over her as she entered her childhood home.
- A feeling of dread swept over the crowd when the lights went out.
- He was swept over by a sudden urge to laugh in the serious meeting.
Advanced Usage
- Passive Construction: The phrasal verb is frequently used in the passive voice ("be swept over by") to emphasize the person being affected.
- She was swept over by a profound sense of peace.
- Figurative Use: While often used for emotions, it can describe being overcome by other powerful, non-physical forces like silence, darkness, or a realization.
- A strange silence swept over the battlefield.
Variants and Related Words
- Sweep (verb): To move or extend over a wide area. This is the base verb from which the phrasal verb is derived.
- The fire swept through the forest.
- Overwhelm (verb): To bury or drown beneath a huge mass; to have a strong emotional effect on. This is a close synonym.
- She was overwhelmed with gratitude.
Synonyms
- Overcome
- Overwhelm
- Overpower
- Engulf
- Flood
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Sweep through: To move quickly and powerfully through a place or group of people. This emphasizes the speed and scope of movement rather than the emotional effect on an individual.
- News of the victory swept through the town.
- Sweep aside: To dismiss or ignore something as unimportant.
- He swept aside all objections and continued with his plan.
Related Idioms
- A wave of [emotion] swept over [someone]: A common collocation that vividly describes the sudden onset of a feeling.
- A wave of relief swept over him when he found his keys.
Verb
-
overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli