Synonyms of clean (up)

clean (up) 1 of 2

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tidy (up)
• clean house
• set straight
• straighten (up)
• pick up
• order
• arrange
• clean (off)
• police (up)
• turn out
• houseclean
• housekeep
• neaten
• unclutter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mess (up)
• clutter
• disarrange

2

as in to censor

to remove objectionable parts from

cleaned up the rock star's interview before publishing it in the newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

• censor
• shorten
• edit
• delete
• review
• cut (out)
• expurgate
• red-pencil
• launder
• bowdlerize
• purge
• cleanse
• purify
• suppress
• examine
• silence
• expunge
• abbreviate
• excise
• repress
• condemn
• gut
• blue-pencil
• scrutinize
• screen
• x (out)
• black out
• denounce
• bleep
• censure
• blip

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• authorize
• approve
• sanction

3

as in to eradicate

to destroy all traces of

hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eradicate
• erase
• abolish
• wipe out
• destroy
• sweep (away)
• blot out
• stamp (out)
• obliterate
• exterminate
• annihilate
• expunge
• root (out)
• rub out
• cancel
• snuff (out)
• efface
• liquidate
• extirpate
• shatter
• demolish
• kill
• black out
• tear down
• mow (down)
• ruin
• dismantle
• consume
• kill off
• blow up
• discard
• flatten
• waste
• dissolve
• fragment
• devastate
• powder
• wreck
• ravage
• total
• throw out
• decimate
• smash
• expel
• finish
• dash
• eject
• devour
• ditch
• raze
• terminate
• blast
• excise
• doom
• oust
• dynamite
• pulverize
• cut
• zap
• atomize
• splinter
• jettison

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protect
• save
• preserve
• conserve
• build
• create
• make
• form
• construct
• shape
• manufacture
• rebuild
• frame
• forge
• repair
• fabricate
• restore
• fix
• reconstruct
• renew
• patch
• fashion
• renovate
• mend
• revamp
• recondition

cleanup

2 of 2

noun

as in killing

an exceptionally large return

The couple made a cleanup when they flipped the house.

Related Words

• killing
• profit
• sales
• payoff
• payment
• windfall
• proceeds
• net
• earnings
• bottom line
• gain
• gross
• salary
• pay
• wages
• compensation
• lucre
• income
• revenue
• remittal
• yield
• emolument
• interest
• requital

Dissimilar Words

• cost
• loss
• expense
• charge
• expenditure
• disbursement
• outlay
• outgo

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of clean (up)

Noun

Lean on my favorite go-to broiler for a quick cook with minimal cleanup. — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Sep. 2026

New Yorkers also have opportunities to earn points through local volunteer efforts throughout September, including urban planting, beach cleanups and food donations. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2026

The documents also cited EPA failures to hire outreach workers who spoke Asian languages, leaving many people in Chinatown with respiratory issues from the dust without any knowledge of the agency or its indoor cleanup program. — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Environmental cleanup issues at the adjacent Hunters Point Shipyard caused delays since it was linked to the Candlestick Park site under an original master redevelopment plan. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026