clean out

phrasal verb

cleaned out; cleaning out; cleans out

1

: to remove unwanted things from (a room, closet, etc.)

We spent the weekend cleaning out the garage.

2

informal : to steal or take everything from (someone or something)

The thieves broke in and cleaned out the store.

3

informal : to use up all or most of the money of (someone)

Buying the house really cleaned us out. Now we're broke.

Examples of clean out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, Little Miss Curlin lost for the first time in five starts, coming north after cleaning out the competition in her native Louisiana. —Bob Wisener, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026

Part of the reason for periodically cleaning out the fridge is simply to keep track of what’s inside. —Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026

There's one brief inning for each team, which its batters spend trying to pummel the ball clean out of the park time and time again. —Samanth Subramanian, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026

Will influencers start selling high-end neti pots to clean out our sinuses in the hopes of shrinking our noses? —Georgia Casey, Allure, 6 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for clean out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout