cleanup

1 of 3

noun

clean·​up ˈklēn-ˌəp How to pronounce cleanup (audio)
1
: an act or instance of cleaning
The children helped with the cleanup.
2
: an exceptionally large profit
made a cleanup [=killing] when he sold his stocks

cleanup

2 of 3

adjective

: being in the fourth position in the batting order of a baseball team
a cleanup hitter
cleanup adverb

clean up

3 of 3

verb

cleaned up; cleaning up; cleans up

intransitive verb

1
: to make a spectacular profit in a business enterprise or a killing in speculation or gambling
2
: to become free of drug or alcohol addiction
I always cleaned up for tours. … By the end of the tour, I'm perfectly clean and should have stayed sober.Keith Richards

Examples of cleanup in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Ohio Department of Transportation is assisting with the crash cleanup. Jennifer Edwards Baker, The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024 The scale of the litigation is a clear indication that communities around the U.S. are desperate to find the money to pay for PFAS cleanup — the full cost of which is not yet clear, but could be as much as $400 billion. Zoya Teirstein / Grist, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Best Pad Mop: Rejuvenate Click n Clean Spray Mop This is our top pick for after-dinner cleanups. Ella Field, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Mar. 2024 Norfolk Southern alone will be responsible for paying for the cleanup after last year’s fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio, a federal judge ruled. Josh Funk, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 Many residents of East Palestine are eager to move forward once the cleanup of the derailment wraps up later this year, but some are still experiencing respiratory problems, rashes and other health concerns. CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024 The resort hosts monthly beach and underwater cleanups, and partners with 1000 Mermaids and Ocean Rescue Alliance for coral-restoration initiatives. Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024 But there are concerns that the ruling could impact the cleanup of other future contaminants unless the DNR has engaged in a 30-month formal rule-making process and has the rule approved by the Legislature. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024 Transfer to an oven-safe skillet, baking dish or a second sheet pan (line with foil for easier cleanup) and coat lightly with oil, salt and pepper. Ali Slagle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
Adjective
After more than a decade of cleanup work, the plant began discharging the water after treating it and diluting it with seawater on Aug. 24, starting a process that’s expected to take decades. Mari Yamaguchi, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 The Rockies scored twice off Dodgers rookie right-hander Emmet Sheehan to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third, with cleanup man Elias Díaz driving in both runs with a 258-foot bloop single to shallow left-center field. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2023 This designation, if granted, would bring additional funding for cleanup efforts. Kate Holland, ABC News, 7 Dec. 2023 Workers involved in cleanup efforts around Sulfur Run in East Palestine, Ohio, following the train derailment. Roxana Saberi, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2024 Bars near explosion site close during cleanup Thompson’s Bookstore and The Archibald are two bars located right next door to the Sandman Signature Hotel on Houston Street. Harriet Ramosand, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2024 Some of those include training conducted for municipality partners, a free Tree Friday event, a Rain Garden revitalized at Boys & Girls Club, Storm Drain Murals and cleanup events. Eplunus Colvin, Arkansas Online, 1 Nov. 2023 Traditionally, autumn has been seen as cleanup time in the garden, a season for raking (or blowing), clipping and whisking away. Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023 Volunteers have helped with cleanup initiatives, and neighbors have opened their doors to those who lost their homes. Vivi Smilgius, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023
Verb
TikTok has had four years to clean up its act since President Donald J. Trump led an attempt to force a sale. Kevin Roose, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 And Caltrans plans to install cameras at more locations along highways and to clean up homeless encampments deemed a risk to public safety. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The Department of Defense, or DOD, has been under growing pressure from states and Congress to clean up these contaminated sites. Zoya Teirstein / Grist, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Russia is not about to clean up its voting procedures and create better institutions overnight. Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 And although the strings cleaned up their act by the end of the movement, there was a struggle throughout to keep Beethoven’s busy designs suspended into a whole. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 Maybe not cleaning up … but very mature, very independent. Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 After cleaning up at the 2023 ARIA Awards, Troye Sivan is in the box seat heading into the 2024 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards, set for March 26 in central Sydney. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024 Crews and contractors will remain on scene over the coming days to clean up the derailment site. Pilar Arias, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cleanup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

see clean entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1872, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1912, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cleanup was in 1872

Dictionary Entries Near cleanup

Cite this Entry

“Cleanup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanup. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cleanup

noun
clean·​up
ˈklē-ˌnəp
: an act or instance of cleaning
helped with the cleanup after the meal
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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