cleanup

1 of 3

noun

clean·​up ˈklēn-ˌəp 

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

While the bill was passed without objection, not all lawmakers agree that the cost for cleanup should fall on the taxpayers. —John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 12 Dec. 2024

Though the cleanup began long before Posen’s arrival, Gap Inc. has now seen sales grow for four consecutive quarters, and its stock is up 16 percent. —Irina Aleksander, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024

Adjective

The event includes two cleanup opportunities: picking up trash on Piney Road or helping with trail clearing and maintenance related to damage from tornadoes that hit Benton County over Memorial Day weekend. —Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 16 Oct. 2024

The rule further gave public water suppliers and other institutions like the military until 2027 to determine the level of PFAS contamination in their systems and until 2029 to initiate cleanup operations. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Sep. 2024

Verb

Thank the servers and the kitchen staff, those who set things up and will be cleaning up after you're gone – their work is essential and contributes to the success of the event. —Jason Walker, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

Kennedy had recently helped form the Waterkeeper Alliance, a network of environmental groups dedicated to cleaning up polluted waterways. —Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

cleanup

noun

clean·​up

ˈklē-ˌnəp

: an act or instance of cleaning

helped with the cleanup after the meal