clean out

phrasal verb

cleaned out; cleaning out; cleans out

: to remove unwanted things from (a room, closet, etc.)

We spent the weekend cleaning out the garage.

informal : to steal or take everything from (someone or something)

The thieves broke in and cleaned out the store.

informal : to use up all or most of the money of (someone)

Buying the house really cleaned us out. Now we're broke.

Examples of clean out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And the roof — which held 150 years’ worth of insulation, including asbestos — had to be completely cleaned out. —

Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 6 June 2024 Within hours of Davie Berman’s funeral in 1957, the mob had cleaned out her house and given away all her toys. —

Lisa Depaulo, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2024 Other parents said that their children's savings accounts, some with balances as high as $80,000, were cleaned out after joining Shekinah. —

Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 30 May 2024 Research has shown that using a stool decreases straining and helps completely clean out the bowels.18 Not rushing the process and giving yourself enough time to poop also helps. —

Karen Pallarito, Health, 12 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for clean out

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