clearing

noun

clear·​ing ˈklir-iŋ 

1

: the act or process of making or becoming clear

2

: a tract of land cleared of wood and brush

3

: the settlement of accounts or exchange of financial instruments especially between banks

Synonyms

• acquittal
• exculpation
• exoneration
• vindication

Examples of clearing in a Sentence

the clearing of the table

the clearing of wood and brush from part of the forest

We found a clearing in the forest.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, many of those same experts have warned that clearing brush is not the same as large-scale logging or clear cutting — which can eliminate fire-suppressing shade and moisture and lead to new growth of more combustible non-native plants and grasses. —Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025

With large-scale land clearing came a sharp decline in wildlife of all kinds. —Sean Lawrence, The Conversation, 18 June 2025

Instead, the opposite happened, and clearing members declined from 177 in 2004 to 64 in 2024. —Christopher Perkins, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

The unlawful clearing of land and the harvest, transport, purchase, and sale of timber and related commodities have long been dismissed as a niche concern of environmental activists. —Justyna Gudzowska, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing clearing

• clearing bank

Rhymes for clearing

• cheering
• earing
• earring
• fearing
• gearing
• hearing
• jeering
• leering
• nearing
• peering
• rearing
• searing

Kids Definition

clearing

noun

clear·​ing ˈkli(ə)r-iŋ 

1

: the act or process of making or becoming clear

2

: an area of land cleared of wood and brush