cleanse

1 of 2

verb

cleansed; cleansing; cleanses

transitive verb

1
: clean
especially : to rid of impurities by or as if by washing
cleansed the wound
It's that mystical state most athletes are lucky to achieve a few times in their careers. The mind is cleansed. The body is free. Jon Wertheim
2
: to expel, imprison, or kill (the members of an ethnic minority) in (an area) : to subject to or remove by ethnic cleansing
In 1996, tens of thousands of ethnic Tutsis, most of them of Rwandan origin, were murdered or ethnically cleansed in the Masisi region of eastern Zaire.David Rieff

intransitive verb

: to engage in or undergo a cleanse to remove toxins from the body
Some people who cleanse say they experience dramatic physical changes.Karen Hube

cleanse

2 of 2

noun

: a very restrictive short-term diet primarily intended to remove toxins from the body
Under the supervision of her nutritionist … Gillian Anderson has reportedly participated in cleanses that consist of little more than liquids for 10 days.J. D. Heiman
… told me about her 28-day cleanse, which limits the caffeine, sugar, gluten, dairy and red meat in your diet.Jon Harris

Examples of cleanse in a Sentence

Verb The cut should be cleansed gently with mild soap and water. in an elaborate ritual the priestess cleansed the gathering of supplicants
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Amid all the whispers and innuendo that Ohtani was the perpetrator, he has finally been given an official title that cleanses the optics and polishes the image. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024 During the testing period, we were impressed by how well this formula cleansed the skin. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024 Not your average water, this uses micelles to remove makeup and expertly cleanse the skin. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 Custom large language models and reference data checks can play a crucial role in data cleansing and simplifying data interpretation. Amit Verma, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 In a ritual on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, people jump over fire to cleanse the spirit from malaise of the old year and take on the glow of the flames in preparation for the new year. Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Her character’s cleansing disgust exudes the thorny defiance so many of us recognize as a principled protest to insurmountable economic, social and political ills. Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to cleanse and replenish, too. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024 For Thurston, communing with nature in this way was cleansing. Tonya Abari, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024
Noun
Complete with an sunscreen that can do double duty and a facial cleansing bar that’ll not only cleanse, but control puffiness from long flights, this list features the 11 best skincare and beauty picks, hand-selected by dermatologists themselves. Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024 Wood is naturally antimicrobial, but requires handwashing, while plastic can collect bacteria but can be placed in the dishwasher for a deep cleanse. Rachael Hogg, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2024 The stringent cleanse and rejuvenation regime, once the sole preserve of princes, is often shoehorned into a five-day flurry. Jane Alexander, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Feb. 2024 Boone encourages her to prolong a juice cleanse and notes the limpness of her new boyfriend’s handshake. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 Together, these products work in synergy to cleanse, exfoliate, balance, and hydrate the skin. Theresa Johnson, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023 Find it on Amazon This Body Brush To Exfoliate Fast Shower time just got a lot more fun with this Body Brush that will work to cleanse, massage, exfoliate, and pamper your skin to perfection. Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024 The Benefits Beyond giving your scalp a thorough cleanse, a detox can potentially help prevent pressing skin concerns that can lead to other problems. Audrey Noble, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024 Suds up with this Clarifying Detox Shampoo to remove pollution, product buildup, excess oil and heavy metals found in hard water for a deep cleanse that will keep your locks fresher for longer. Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cleanse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English clensen, from Old English clǣnsian to purify, from clǣne clean

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1999, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cleanse was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near cleanse

Cite this Entry

“Cleanse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanse. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

cleanse

verb
cleansed; cleansing
: to make clean

Medical Definition

cleanse

1 of 2 transitive verb
ˈklenz
cleansed; cleansing
: to make clean

intransitive verb

: to engage in or undergo a cleanse to remove toxins from the body

cleanse

2 of 2 noun
: a very restrictive short-term diet primarily intended to remove toxins from the body

More from Merriam-Webster on cleanse

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