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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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)
Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 25 July 2025
The right lane of southbound Highway 99 was closed for over two hours due to the crash, as an investigation and cleanup of the crash continued.
—Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2025
State regulators took the first enforcement actions against some of Colorado’s largest oil and gas operators as part of an ongoing investigation into reports of environmental consultants’ falsification of data on the cleanup of 404 sites in Weld County.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 24 July 2025
The games were, in fact, the first step in making the Seine swimmable again, with officials pumping more than $1.4 billion into its cleanup to host the open-water swimming and triathlon events.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
And, following the tribal ceremony, volunteers gathered for the World Surf League’s One Ocean beach cleanup.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 25 July 2025
The right lane of southbound Highway 99 was closed for over two hours due to the crash, as an investigation and cleanup of the crash continued.
—Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2025
State regulators took the first enforcement actions against some of Colorado’s largest oil and gas operators as part of an ongoing investigation into reports of environmental consultants’ falsification of data on the cleanup of 404 sites in Weld County.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 24 July 2025
The games were, in fact, the first step in making the Seine swimmable again, with officials pumping more than $1.4 billion into its cleanup to host the open-water swimming and triathlon events.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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Trump supporters have increasingly criticized the technology, saying safety guardrails end up censoring conservative views.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
23 July 2025
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But censoring the language does not erase the people most affected.—
Timothy Holtz,
Sun Sentinel,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Screwworms were eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, but have been know to reemerge occasionally.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 July 2025
-
Israel retaliated and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to eradicate Hamas.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 July 2025
Noun
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Once contained to local disputes resolved between communities, the violence has exploded into mass killings fueled by population growth, the climate crisis, and the collapse of traditional peacemaking.—
Emmanuel Akinwotu,
NPR,
26 July 2025
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The killing turned Gary, who was charged with second-degree murder, into an instant hero among some people.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
26 July 2025
Verb
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The committee members wrote the evaluation should focus on reducing development and production costs, shortening the schedule, and maintaining the SLS rocket's lift capability.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
25 July 2025
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Tour de France organizers have shortened Stage 19 of the competition to avoid a herd of cows which have suffered an outbreak of disease.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Nothing Astronomer could have said or done would've erased the incident.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
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Intel’s stock jumped early in 2025 as optimism built around new leadership, but shares fell over 9% after Thursday’s Q2 earnings and layoff announcement, threatening to erase most yearly gains.—
Ashley Lutz,
Fortune,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The company, founded by Terry and his wife Kathy, on July 5, 2005, is donating all of the profits from sales at all 36 stores Thursday to the Austin Disaster Relief Network's Central Texas Flood campaign.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
25 July 2025
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Lygo was joined by ITV boss Carolyn McCall as the network unveiled a set of half-year results that saw profits slashed by 30%, which the broadcaster mainly put down to a stronger six months in 2024 when the men’s Euros soccer tournament was on.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
Another way to view downsizing is to edit or curate.—
Jann E. Freed,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
His answers have bee lightly edited for brevity and clarity.—
Langston Wertz Jr,
Charlotte Observer,
28 July 2025
Verb
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Greer wrote that Anderson should have received the death penalty, a sentence abolished in Wisconsin since the 19th century.—
Ariela Lopez,
jsonline.com,
2 Aug. 2025
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But our colleague David Aldridge wrote earlier this year in favor of abolishing the draft.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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