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
Erik burns old ancient white sage and frankincense to clean out the bad energy and bring in good energy during the event.
—
Genaro Molina, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
The videos are Rockwell-quaint: prayer before meals, Monday night pool parties with his extended family, an afternoon spent cleaning out the garage.
—Danny Lorberbaum
june 13, Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
Regularly clean out anything that needs to have water, such as a bird bath.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 10 June 2025
Instead, Dimas and her colleague Roxana Reyna, a wound ostomy nurse practitioner at Driscoll, used a medical-grade honey solution to clean out the wound.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean out
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Genaro Molina, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
The videos are Rockwell-quaint: prayer before meals, Monday night pool parties with his extended family, an afternoon spent cleaning out the garage.
—Danny Lorberbaum
june 13, Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
Regularly clean out anything that needs to have water, such as a bird bath.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 10 June 2025
Instead, Dimas and her colleague Roxana Reyna, a wound ostomy nurse practitioner at Driscoll, used a medical-grade honey solution to clean out the wound.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean out
Cite this Entry
“Clean out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clean%20out. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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