fegen
to sweep
To clean a surface, usually the floor, with a broom by removing dirt, dust, or leaves.
EXAMPLE
Jeden Samstag muss ich den Hof fegen.
Every Saturday I have to sweep the courtyard.
fegen
to sweep
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Meanings
fegen
to sweep
To move very quickly and forcefully across a surface. This is often used for wind, storms, or also for people in a hurry.
EXAMPLE
Ein heftiger Sturm fegte über das Land.
A violent storm swept across the country.
fegen
to sweep
In sports, to defeat an opponent or opposing team very clearly and dominantly.
EXAMPLE
Die Heimmannschaft fegte die Gäste mit 5:0 vom Platz.
The home team swept the visitors off the field with a 5–0 win.
Usage tips
Typical collocations
In its basic meaning, 'fegen' (to sweep) is often combined with the place or the dirt that is being removed. Common phrases are 'den Boden fegen' (to sweep the floor), 'die Straße fegen' (to sweep the street), or 'Laub fegen' (to sweep up leaves).
EXAMPLE
Vor dem Winter müssen wir das ganze Laub im Garten fegen.
Before winter, we have to sweep up all the leaves in the garden.
Context clue
You can recognize the figurative meaning from the subject of the sentence. If the subject is not a person with a broom, but rather the wind, a storm, or a person in a hurry, 'fegen' means 'to move quickly'.
EXAMPLE
Der kalte Wind fegte durch die leeren Straßen der Stadt.
The cold wind swept through the city's empty streets.
Auxiliary verb: haben or sein?
When 'fegen' describes a quick movement, 'sein' is usually used as the auxiliary verb to emphasize movement from A to B. The auxiliary verb 'haben', on the other hand, emphasizes the action itself.
EXAMPLE
Der Orkan ist über die Küste gefegt.
The hurricane swept over the coast.
Typical sports expression
In a sports context, 'fegen' is often used in the fixed expression 'jemanden vom Platz fegen' (to sweep someone off the field) to express a very clear victory.
EXAMPLE
Unsere Mannschaft hat den Gegner mit 6:0 vom Platz gefegt.
Our team swept the opponent off the field with a 6–0 win.
Register and style
The meaning 'to defeat decisively' is colloquial and typical of sports reporting. In a neutral or formal context, you would avoid this formulation.
EXAMPLE
Der Kommentator rief: „Was für ein Spiel! Sie fegen sie förmlich aus dem Stadion!“
The commentator shouted: 'What a game! They're practically sweeping them out of the stadium!'
Compare with
fegen vs kehren
to sweep / turn
Kehren and fegen both mean cleaning a surface of dirt with a broom. The usual choice depends largely on the region; in this context, neither word is fundamentally wrong. So you will usually use the word that is common in your region and local surroundings.
fegen
In unserer Region fegen wir den Hof jeden Samstag mit dem Besen.
In our region, we sweep the yard with a broom every Saturday.
kehren
In unserer Region kehren wir den Hof jeden Samstag mit dem Besen.
In our region, we sweep the yard with a broom every Saturday.
In real life
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