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

The briefing at the Pentagon on Thursday was meant to clear up those reports, based on an initial intelligence briefing reported by CNN and The New York Times, which suggested the strikes on nuclear facilities Saturday had only set Iran's program back by months, rather than eliminating it. —Dan Gooding shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025

Within two days of installing it, the itchy rash started to clear up. —Kelli Acciardo, Allure, 24 June 2025

Here’s hoping Samson and his impressive appendage return in the next movie to clear up some of the confusion — or at least to confirm my increasing suspicion that the title 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a double entendre. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 June 2025

That is the question that the state Assembly overwhelmingly sought to clear up in a recent vote, agreeing to expand California’s unclaimed property law to include digital assets, such as Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or other virtual currency used in private transactions. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 16 June 2025

Rhymes for clear up

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