1
as in to tidy (up)
to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff
you're expected to clean up after you use the workroom
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2
as in to censor
to remove objectionable parts from
cleaned up the rock star's interview before publishing it in the newspaper
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3
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in killing
an exceptionally large return
The couple made a cleanup when they flipped the house.
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Six construction workers were killed in the accident, and the McHenry Channel was closed for two months to allow for cleanup of the debris.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 19 Aug. 2025
Indiana 2 was closed for several hours due to cleanup from the crash, which required members of Lake County’s Hazardous Materials Response Team and the Lake County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to respond.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Now, even as cleanup efforts begin, the city is watching several lift stations, worried that the system may still be compromised.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Sungai Design is proving that the future of environmental action won’t be won by cleanup alone — it will be built, piece by piece, by businesses that turn problems into products, and impact into infrastructure.
—Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Six construction workers were killed in the accident, and the McHenry Channel was closed for two months to allow for cleanup of the debris.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 19 Aug. 2025
Indiana 2 was closed for several hours due to cleanup from the crash, which required members of Lake County’s Hazardous Materials Response Team and the Lake County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to respond.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Now, even as cleanup efforts begin, the city is watching several lift stations, worried that the system may still be compromised.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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In his book, the author notes that the U.S. government initially censored the blasts’ effects and downplayed the bleak consequences of radiation.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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But because Twitch streams are live and not edited or censored like traditional TV programming, there are more risks involved regarding what young viewers may see onscreen.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The advisory included detailed technical guidance to help network defenders identify and eradicate the threat.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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The parasite was eradicated the the U.S. by 1966, according to the U.S. Congress.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Her defense hopes that Friday's annulment of the case of the protester killings will pave the way for the court to similarly send back the clock on the main sedition case that resulted in her 10-year prison sentence.—
ISABEL DEBRE,
Arkansas Online,
31 Aug. 2025
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Lawrence Dority, 32, of Orlando, was sentenced to life in prison for the killing, according to online jail records.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In 1989, the ship was purchased by Fraser Shipyards, which shortened the vessel by 120 feet.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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However, average tenure shortened to 11 years from 13.3 over the same period.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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When a person died, the brain's power source was severed, and all of those chemicals simply dissolved into a meaningless puddle of liquid, erasing every last trace of who that person had once been.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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After 164 starts and six runner-up finishes, Fleetwood's $10 million victory not only ended his winless streak but also erased his name from the list of highest-earning players without a PGA Tour win.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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And this week’s results highlighted the scale of the challenge as the company warned tariffs will hit its profits moving forward, upping the impact to be between $150 million and $175 million.—
Mark Faithfull,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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For example, Caesars has doubled the number of profit boosts for new customers.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But abolishing a property tax would fully freeze younger and lower-income folks out of the housing market because, in part, higher property taxes often lead to lower home prices, which reduces the down payment required for a homebuyer seeking a mortgage.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Aug. 2025
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One way not to do that—to take yet another example from this Administration—would be to end the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program, which started during President Barack Obama’s second term and came to a close in March, when the U.S.D.A. abolished it.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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