Past Tense of Sweep
“Sweep” follows the pattern sweep → swept → swept. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The same conjugation applies across ordinary cleaning and figurative movement or victory senses of the verb.
The simple past and past participle of “sweep” are both “swept.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed action in simple past | swept | Use “swept.” |
| past participle after have/has/had | swept | Use “swept.” |
| present/base-form context | sweep | Use “sweep” when a past form is not required. |
Quick tests
Verb-form test
Do you need the simple past or past participle of “sweep”?
If yes: Use “swept.”
If no: Use “sweep” or the appropriate present form when the sentence is not past.
Caveat: Both simple past and past participle are “swept.” The same conjugation applies across ordinary cleaning and figurative movement or victory senses of the verb.
Examples
She swept the kitchen before breakfast.
“Swept” is the simple past.
The storm has swept debris across the road.
“Swept” is the past participle after “has.”
We sweep the floor every evening.
The present form is “sweep.”
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “swept” for both the simple past and the past participle.
Fast Test
If the sentence needs a past form or participle, choose “swept”; use “sweep” or the appropriate present form in present-time contexts.
Usage Boundary
Both simple past and past participle are “swept.” The same conjugation applies across ordinary cleaning and figurative movement or victory senses of the verb.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- SWEEP Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster (opens in a new tab)Merriam-Webster · Merriam-Webster records swept as the inflected past form of sweep.
- SWEEP | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge records swept as both the past tense and past participle of sweep.