clear up

phrasal verb

cleared up; clearing up; clears up

1

of weather or the sky : to change so that there are no clouds, fog, etc.

The sky cleared up after the rain.

It's cloudy now, but it's clearing up gradually.

2

of the skin : to become free of marks or spots

My skin cleared up when I started using the cream.

3

: to go away

My symptoms cleared up once I started using the cream.

4

British : to make an area clean or tidy

Let's clear up before we leave.

Examples of clear up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Off a Hellebuyck save, Alex Iafallo possessed the puck and cleared up ice high off the glass. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 20 Dec. 2025

However, all the rain should help clear up the dense fog that hit Sacramento in recent weeks. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 19 Dec. 2025

If the Supreme Court rules against the tariffs, importers are also likely to receive refunds eventually, but that could take several months of legal wrangling to clear up. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

Elsewhere during Saturday’s SNL episode, host Josh O’Connor cleared up rumors about him potentially starring in a live-action Ratatouille movie and more. —Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for clear up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup