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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
But for people who skip the barber, hate appointments or just want a quick cleanup at home, the idea makes sense.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Dabney helped organize community cleanup days starting in 2017, during which people picked up trash in yards and alongside roads.
—Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
Any future use would require extensive environmental cleanup.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Duties include analyzing scientific data to understand risks to people and the environment; helping decide the best cleanup approach and making sure project costs are accurate and paid.
—Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
But for people who skip the barber, hate appointments or just want a quick cleanup at home, the idea makes sense.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Dabney helped organize community cleanup days starting in 2017, during which people picked up trash in yards and alongside roads.
—Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
Any future use would require extensive environmental cleanup.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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The network quickly moved to censor a transgressive sitcom parody where soon-to-be-Ramones-manager Danny Fields tries to cure a TV repairman’s hemorrhoids by sticking a lightbulb up his ass.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Thousands of websites are censored by the government.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Foege, a key player in the global effort to eradicate smallpox, was stationed by the CDC in India in the early 1970s, helping that country with the gargantuan challenge of stopping spread of this horrible disease within its borders.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
25 Jan. 2026
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At the same time, the nation is seeing an increase in some diseases once considered eradicated here, particularly measles.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The killing comes amid ongoing demonstrations across Iran, as anger continues to simmer over political repression, economic hardship and human rights abuses.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The image appears to show Ketter moving through a cloud of tear gas during a demonstration following the killing of Alex Pretti, which happened just minutes away from his store.—
Nick Lunemann,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The draft was twelve pages long, including references, and The Lancet had asked Koren to shorten it to a page.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
According to the World Health Organization and Cambridge University, people with bipolar disorder have a life expectancy that is shortened by ten to fifteen years on average, and a 2x-3x higher all-cause mortality rate than the general population.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Therefore, telling the story in graphic form on behalf of Ukrainians themselves, explaining the preconditions for Russia’s attempts to erase Ukraine as a sovereign country and Ukrainians as an ethnic group, became extremely relevant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The Clippers erased a second double-digit deficit behind a 14-3 run to open the second quarter and took a 33-31 lead on Leonard’s pull-up jumper.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In an industry built on the constant churn of buying and flipping companies for a profit, Vestar’s future is in question.—
Hank Tucker,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The announcement came alongside the company’s latest quarterly earnings, which showed falling vehicle sales but stronger-than-expected profits.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This edition of Forbes Daily was edited by Chris Dobstaff and Caroline Howard.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Josephine Rozzelle edited this edition.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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More than half of independents now approve of abolishing ICE, once a rallying cry of progressives.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Video footage shows Omar was calling for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Kristi Noem to resign when the suspect jumped in front of her and sprayed the liquid on her shirt.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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