1
as in to tidy (up)
to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff
you're expected to clean up after you use the workroom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to censor
to remove objectionable parts from
cleaned up the rock star's interview before publishing it in the newspaper
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in killing
an exceptionally large return
The couple made a cleanup when they flipped the house.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
But as Columbia Business School professor Shivaram Rajgopal notes, Johnsen’s task goes beyond the usual pre-IPO cleanup of controls and unit economics.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 12 June 2026
TetraTech, the company that was doing the cleanup along the Lower Fox River, picked the lowest level needed in its health and safety plan.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 12 June 2026
One week before he was sentenced to jail, Rice underwent a cleanup surgery on his right knee, ESPN reported.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
County leaders are debating whether to continue having a role in the cleanup of Piney Point, a toxic industrial site near Tampa Bay that’s in the midst of lengthy shutdown process.
—Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
But as Columbia Business School professor Shivaram Rajgopal notes, Johnsen’s task goes beyond the usual pre-IPO cleanup of controls and unit economics.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 12 June 2026
TetraTech, the company that was doing the cleanup along the Lower Fox River, picked the lowest level needed in its health and safety plan.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 12 June 2026
One week before he was sentenced to jail, Rice underwent a cleanup surgery on his right knee, ESPN reported.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
-
When teammates needed to be set straight, Gerry was the guy to do it.—
Jon Paul Hoornstra,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Yet absolute power, Orwell appreciated, allowed those who possessed it to silence or censor opposing narratives, quashing the possibility of productive dialogue about history that could ultimately allow truth to come out.—
Laura Beers,
The Conversation,
20 Aug. 2025
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But because Twitch streams are live and not edited or censored like traditional TV programming, there are more risks involved regarding what young viewers may see onscreen.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Once established, the mollusks are extremely difficult to eradicate and can damage drinking water systems, irrigation infrastructure and hydroelectric facilities while disrupting native aquatic ecosystems.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
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Corruption scandals of the kind Milei vowed to eradicate upon taking office have struck a nerve against the backdrop of his efforts to defund education, health care and social assistance.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The killing is Kansas City’s 61st homicide of 2026, according to data tracked by The Star.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
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About 12 hours before the Carter Park killing, a man was found shot to death at a condominium in the 4000 block of Ridglea Country Club Drive in west Fort Worth, police said.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Sean Combs is getting his sentence shortened.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
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That increases visibility and shortens the time needed to attract qualified applicants.—
Audrey Payne,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
Verb
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These Knicks, who erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, just don’t quit.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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The magic on the pitch during the World Cup has a way of erasing everything that happens off it – for better or worse.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The fraudulent wagers resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in profits for bettors, prosecutors said.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
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Customers reading the bill There’s a conflict building in the AI business between model providers’ need to generate profits and the increasing cost to clients of using those services.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
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This interview has been edited and condensed.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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