clear up

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

On Sunday morning, great clouds covered the tops of the city’s tallest skyscrapers, but the weather cleared up while the mother and daughter cruised together as participants in Bike the Drive. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026

Nevertheless, the sight of the 20-year-old Slovenian riding clear up the famed Calo Alto, seven years on from a similarly callow Pogačar seizing his first Grand Tour stage victory, provide a resounding echo. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Not feeling quite ready to start clearing up yet, Tracey stood in the kitchen doorway and took a long, deep breath. — Helen Simpson, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Its uniquely wide view will also help scientists decode the intricacies of dark matter and dark energy while perhaps clearing up some contradictions about our universe that scientists have been scratching their heads over for decades. — Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for clear up

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