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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to censor
to remove objectionable parts from
cleaned up the rock star's interview before publishing it in the newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in killing
an exceptionally large return
The couple made a cleanup when they flipped the house.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 18 June 2026
As soon as the Knicks arrived at City Hall following the parade, the department posted a video showing the massive cleanup effort was underway on Broadway.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 18 June 2026
The total cost for the parade plus related preparations and cleanup will likely surpass $2 million, based on outlays for previous events, with private sponsors sometimes partially covering expenses.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 18 June 2026
The cleanup for the Knicks parade Right behind the madness will be city workers, tasked with cleaning up the streets.
—Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Making your entire meal in one pan means cooking—and cleanup—are a breeze.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 18 June 2026
As soon as the Knicks arrived at City Hall following the parade, the department posted a video showing the massive cleanup effort was underway on Broadway.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 18 June 2026
The total cost for the parade plus related preparations and cleanup will likely surpass $2 million, based on outlays for previous events, with private sponsors sometimes partially covering expenses.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 18 June 2026
The cleanup for the Knicks parade Right behind the madness will be city workers, tasked with cleaning up the streets.
—Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
-
The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines, so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child's profile.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
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The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Incomplete or inappropriate antibiotic courses amplify this effect by exposing bacteria to sub-therapeutic drug concentrations without eradicating them.—
Robert Glatter,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
-
Building new sterile fly production facilities in the Southwest helped eradicate the flies in that region too, and by 1966, the US was declared officially screwworm-free.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Noun
-
The killing of the Montreal police officer is the first death in the line of duty in the city in decades, Dagher said.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
-
About a week after Kirk’s killing, Benjamin observed a minute of silence in his honor at the end of an assembly, which was followed by an invitation to gather at a flagpole and pray.—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
After dealing with injuries that shortened his strong 2025 campaign, Giants starter Tyler Mahle is starting an MLB game for the first time since late May after straining his left hamstring.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
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The explicit intent was to shorten filings and eliminate generic text.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Verb
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By the time the boundary issues were partially corrected in the 1960s, both the cemetery and the surrounding Black community had been largely erased from public memory.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 June 2026
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Still, state environmental officials and weather experts say the rainfall deficits dating back to last fall have not been completely erased.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
24 June 2026
Noun
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On Saturday and Sunday their restaurants — Nobby’s and The Cheese Steak Shop — will donate their profits to the families of Hull and Johnson.—
ALULA ALDERSON,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2026
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As a nonprofit organization, all of the profits from Rainbow Wool go to LSVD+, the largest nongovernmental organization in Germany advocating for LGBTQ+ people.—
Sara Belcher,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
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.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2026
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This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Verb
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Avila Chevalier survived a deluge of attacks for previous social media posts that called for abolishing the police and prisons.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
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Earlier this month, the bloc also released more information about its own plans for abolishing its de minimis exemption on June 30.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
23 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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