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

Offer specific help, such as providing meals, assisting with cleanup, or connecting them to local resources and shelters. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025

Advertisement At your home, take photos before any cleanup or debris removal happens. —Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025

Adjective

Biden also approved a major disaster declaration for Los Angeles County, unlocking federal assistance for housing, repairs, and cleanup efforts. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025

The alliance will provide door hangers, gloves, bags and safety vests for the cleanup day. —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Oct. 2023

Verb

From the workers who helped clean up Ground Zero in the wake of 9/11 to the communities living through the water crisis in Flint, Mich., Cornejo Villavicencio, herself undocumented until 2020, uplifts the voices often left out of the spotlight. —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 31 Dec. 2024

Finding a place for all these items can make quick work of cleaning up which can result in forming a habit of putting things away at once. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 30 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