a sweeping change — wide-ranging change
collocationC1IELTS 7+neutralcommon
a change that affects many parts of something or has a major impact, not just a small or limited adjustment
Say it like a native
Textbook The government introduced changes that affect almost everything.
Native The government introduced sweeping changes.
'Sweeping changes' = broad and far-reaching, in one word.
Pattern: a sweeping change (in/to something)
In use
- The company introduced a sweeping change to its remote work policy, allowing employees to work from anywhere in the world.society
- In my opinion, a sweeping change in public transport systems is necessary if cities want to reduce pollution and traffic congestion.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ They made a sweeping change to the whole system.
✓ They made sweeping changes to the whole system.
Usually plural — 'sweeping changes/reforms'; the singular sounds odd for something that affects everything.
Common collocations
sweeping changes/reforms— changes, reforms, powers, introduce
Don't confuse it
Unlike 'a small change' or 'a minor change', 'a sweeping change' refers to something that is broad and far-reaching, not just significant in size but in how many things it affects.