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 of clearing

• pardon
• forgiveness
• vindication
• acquittal
• exoneration

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

Then one, two, three of them step out from the arboreal shadows, into a clearing in the valley. —Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025

That triggered a brief and ultimately uneventful clearing of the teams’ dugouts and bullpens. —Dennis Lin, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025

Plants that typically need significant clearing of dead stems in spring belong to this category. —Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025

There will be some partial clearing in parts of eastern and southern Vermont, but increasingly windy and cool conditions are expected tonight with a transition to snow around midnight for the Adirondacks. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 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