sweepings
C1Formal/Technical/Literary
Definition
Meaning
The refuse, dust, dirt, or waste material collected by sweeping.
Figuratively, things that are considered worthless, leftover, or inferior; remnants discarded after selection.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Almost exclusively used in plural form. Implies something collected and unwanted. Often used metaphorically to describe people or things considered the least valuable part of a group.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning, but slightly more common in British formal/literary contexts.
Connotations
Both carry connotations of worthlessness or being leftover. Can be pejorative when applied to people.
Frequency
Low frequency in both varieties; more likely encountered in written texts than spontaneous speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[verb] the sweepingssweepings [preposition] [location]sweepings of [material/place]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “The sweepings of society (pejorative for the lowest social class)”
- “Not worth the sweepings (utterly worthless)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Could appear in contexts like waste management, recycling, or processing raw materials (e.g., 'gold sweepings from the workshop floor').
Academic
Used in historical, sociological, or literary studies (e.g., describing marginalised groups).
Everyday
Very rare in casual conversation. Might be used literally by a cleaner or in a craftsman's workshop.
Technical
Used in waste management, mining (ore sweepings), milling (grain sweepings), or textile industries.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The theatre caretaker gathered the sweepings after the final performance.
- Historical accounts sometimes unkindly referred to beggars as the sweepings of the city.
American English
- The jeweler carefully saved the gold sweepings from his workbench.
- The critic dismissed the latest batch of novels as the literary sweepings of the publishing season.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Please put the sweepings from the kitchen floor into the bin.
- After the festival, the clean-up crew faced mountains of sweepings from the streets.
- The process recovers valuable metals even from the sweepings of the factory floor.
- The polemicist argued that the new policy was designed to appeal to the sweepings of the electorate.
- Archaeologists found clues to everyday life not in treasures, but in the sweepings of ancient hearths.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
SWEEP + INGS. Imagine a janitor sweeping dust INto a pile. The '-ings' ending signals 'the results of sweeping'.
Conceptual Metaphor
WORTHLESSNESS IS DUST/REFUSE; SOCIETY IS A BUILDING (with 'sweepings' as its discarded inhabitants).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'sweeping' (as in 'sweeping changes'). The plural '-ings' is crucial and indicates the collected material, not the action.
Common Mistakes
- Using as a singular noun (*'a sweeping').
- Confusing with the present participle/adjective 'sweeping'.
- Using in overly casual contexts where 'rubbish' or 'dust' would be more natural.
Practice
Quiz
In a metaphorical sense, 'the sweepings of society' refers to:
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a plural noun. There is no singular form in common use for the meaning of 'collected refuse'. You cannot have 'a sweepings'.
Yes, but it is strongly pejorative and dehumanising, meaning people regarded as the worthless remnants of society. Use with extreme caution.
'Sweepings' specifically implies material collected by the act of sweeping (dust, small debris), often from floors or streets. 'Garbage' is a more general term for waste of all kinds.
No. It is a low-frequency word found primarily in formal, literary, or specific technical contexts (e.g., waste management, historical description).