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

The report quoted Shipilova's neighbors as saying a team of disinfection experts did several cleanups of her apartment, leaving a strong antiseptic smell. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

Ty France, the cleanup hitter since July, might be this season’s team MVP. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026

If employees finish work faster but face more reviews, corrections, context switching or after-hours cleanup, productivity has not truly improved. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Separate the prep area from the cooking area from the cleanup area so every task has a landing spot. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026