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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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
There was Toronto starter Kevin Gausman, striking out eight Dodgers in the first three innings, but being undone by that third inning, when Betts — who had been dropped in the lineup, down to the cleanup spot — followed a Smith RBI double with a two-run single to make it 3-0 Dodgers.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Opening your windows or door, if possible, whether first thing in the morning, while cooking, or even during your after-dinner cleanup, can help wipe out any odors that might be lingering in your space, leaving behind the natural allure of the great outdoors.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
The death toll from heavy floods in central Vietnam has risen to 13, the government said Friday, as residents of the flooded city of Hoi An started cleanup operations as the water levels began to subside.
—Reuters, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
The study’s insights could help scientists model pollutant persistence and even engineer better cleanup materials inspired by these minerals.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
There was Toronto starter Kevin Gausman, striking out eight Dodgers in the first three innings, but being undone by that third inning, when Betts — who had been dropped in the lineup, down to the cleanup spot — followed a Smith RBI double with a two-run single to make it 3-0 Dodgers.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Opening your windows or door, if possible, whether first thing in the morning, while cooking, or even during your after-dinner cleanup, can help wipe out any odors that might be lingering in your space, leaving behind the natural allure of the great outdoors.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
The death toll from heavy floods in central Vietnam has risen to 13, the government said Friday, as residents of the flooded city of Hoi An started cleanup operations as the water levels began to subside.
—Reuters, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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Back then, Comedy Central responded by heavily censoring the episodes — bleeping all mentions of Muhammad’s name and removing key dialogue — and later pulled them from streaming platforms and reruns entirely.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
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In 2022, the US also greenlit Starlink service for Iran after the country’s government moved to heavily censor the internet.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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According to Jaworowski, the technology just doesn’t exist yet to eradicate the need for power generation that can supply energy 24 hours a day.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
4 Nov. 2025
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But those remakes are about hive-mind monsters infecting and possessing humans, who valiantly resist but fail to eradicate the threat.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Voice of Hind Rajab, about the killing of a young Palestinian girl by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip in early 2024, which was a recipient of the DFI’s grants program.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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Andres pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to nine years but walked free after just 18 months due to his good behavior while behind bars.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The engines, flight profiles, and countermeasure requirements vary by design, but all shorten warning and decision timelines for defenders.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
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This shift would aim to shorten lead times and reduce tariff uncertainty while maintaining the company’s certification standards for recycled and low-impact materials, Talbot said.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The drop in SoftBank shares has erased nearly $50 billion in market cap over two days.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The back of the envelope valuation for creator businesses is six times profit, Claire Geddie, Director of Creator Partnerships at investment outfit Electrify told the crowd.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Four years ago, the Panama Papers, a massive leak of documents from the law firm Mossack Fonseca, revealed how the rich and devious evade taxes and launder profits through opaque offshore shell companies.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The group has backed leading AI model developers such as OpenAI, as well as application-level startups like OpusClip, a generative-AI video-editing platform, and Tempus AI, which applies machine learning to precision medicine.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
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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 WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Now abolish property taxes for us that live here.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Additionally, individual states can’t decide to abolish the practice without Congressional approval.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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