cleanup

1 of 3

noun

clean·​up ˈklēn-ˌəp 

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

cleanup

2 of 3

adjective

: being in the fourth position in the batting order of a baseball team

a cleanup hitter

cleanup adverb

clean up

3 of 3

verb

cleaned up; cleaning up; cleans up

intransitive verb

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

Examples of cleanup in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For the few areas in Michigan there were swamped in Wednesday's storm comes the cleanup. —Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 11 July 2024

Inside the massive cleanup of Baltimore’s Key Bridge Using massive barges and floating cranes, crews cleared the hulking pieces of steel and hunks of concrete that have crippled the Port of Baltimore and spread economic pain locally and nationally. —Hau Chu, Washington Post, 11 July 2024

Adjective

The council approved the city to work with three companies for cleanup efforts. —Campbell Roper, arkansasonline.com, 26 June 2024

The family has been temporarily moved downriver to make way for cleanup efforts and given opening ceremony tickets for their inconvenience. —Keir Simmons, NBC News, 26 June 2024

Verb

Pet owners will also appreciate the machine’s ability to deodorize and clean up pet messes. —Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 13 July 2024

After disinfecting, wear rubber gloves and clean up the droppings with disposable materials such as paper towels, rags, or disposable mop heads. —Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 12 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

see clean entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1872, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1912, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cleanup

noun

clean·​up

ˈklē-ˌnəp

: an act or instance of cleaning

helped with the cleanup after the meal