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

Meteorologists expect conditions in the Midwest to clear up on August 2 and particularly on August 3, Dye says, although the smoke will head eastward into northern New York State and Michigan over the weekend. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2025

Fortunately, Mercury will (finally) station direct on Aug. 11, clearing up communication confusion that may have been lingering since last month. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Keep reading for the most common protein myths and clear up the confusion about this essential nutrient. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 24 July 2025

Robinson was quick to clear up any confusion surrounding the pair’s scenes. —Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2025

Rhymes for clear up

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