From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsweep somebody/something away phrasal verb1 sweep something ↔ awayDESTROY to completely destroy something or make something disappear houses swept away by the floods A sudden feeling of grief swept all my anger away.2 sweep somebody away (also sweep somebody along) if you are swept away or swept along by something, you are so excited that you do not think clearly or you forget about other things We couldn’t help being swept away by Bette’s enthusiasm. Nineteenth-century scientists were swept along on the tide of Darwin’s theories.Grammar Sweep away or sweep along is usually passive in this meaning. → sweep→ See Verb table