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
: being in the fourth position in the batting order of a baseball team
a cleanup hitter
cleanup
adverb
cleaned up; cleaning up; cleans up
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
Keith RichardsExamples of cleanup in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dakota Bennett, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2025
The cookware works on any stovetop and is oven-safe up to 500 degrees, and is dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.
—Averi Baudler, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
Officials declined to specify how frequently troops have been tasked with cleanup duties, but emphasized the effort supports community improvement alongside public safety operations.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2025
Those types of things should be fairly easy to clean up.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanup
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Noun
The volunteer data proved crucial in convincing authorities to act and, what started as citizen science, became the foundation for both this cleanup and potential broader policy changes down the line.
—Dakota Bennett, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2025
The cookware works on any stovetop and is oven-safe up to 500 degrees, and is dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.
—Averi Baudler, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Ship Canal — located in East Chicago — were polluted from more than a century of industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, and caused multiple grassroots organizations to advocate for cleanup measures along the river.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
Officials declined to specify how frequently troops have been tasked with cleanup duties, but emphasized the effort supports community improvement alongside public safety operations.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
His three tackles helped clean up some mess that was generated on the defensive front.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2025
Those types of things should be fairly easy to clean up.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanup
Cite this Entry
“Cleanup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanup. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
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