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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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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
The final budget agreement also includes $100 million for encampment cleanup and $300 million for a first-time, first-generation homebuyer assistance program.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2025
County officials urged residents to be careful to protect their health and safety — and their wallets — during the cleanup.
—Andrew Krueger, Twin Cities, 23 June 2025
Chinese social media reactions to news of the cleanup have been scathing.
—Karla Cripps, CNN Money, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Chemical runoff was contained and vacuum trucks were brought in for cleanup.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
The final budget agreement also includes $100 million for encampment cleanup and $300 million for a first-time, first-generation homebuyer assistance program.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2025
County officials urged residents to be careful to protect their health and safety — and their wallets — during the cleanup.
—Andrew Krueger, Twin Cities, 23 June 2025
Chinese social media reactions to news of the cleanup have been scathing.
—Karla Cripps, CNN Money, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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Protesters marched in unison with the hundreds of Cubans who had been arrested, beaten up and censored for protesting openly on the island.—
Charles Rabin,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2025
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Iran heavily censors the media and the content its citizens consume.—
Shane Croucher
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Davis has partnered with multiple programs to eradicate childhood hunger in the U.S. and recently launched the Davis-Tennon Foundation.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 June 2025
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Vaccines eradicated smallpox and dramatically reduced infant deaths from measles, tuberculosis, whooping cough, and tetanus.—
Kelsey Piper,
Vox,
27 June 2025
Noun
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The shocking quadruple killings shook the families and the small college town of Moscow to the core while police launched a massive manhunt for a suspect.—
Kayna Whitworth,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
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Last week, soldiers in the Israeli military said leadership ordered soldiers to fire on unarmed Palestinians at aid distribution centers in Gaza, indicating the killings are the result of IDF policies targeting civilians in violation of international law.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
1 July 2025
Verb
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After the acquisition, Nordstrom pushed to expand the service yet to contain costs, instituted a $25 at-home try-on fee and shortened the return window, negatively impacting what male customers had come to expect.—
Jennifer J. Fondrevay,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Hot weather speeds up chemical reactions inside your battery, which shortens its lifespan.—
Bethany Wales,
Sacbee.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Federal climate science is being systematically erased.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
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The Human Constant Technological revolutions do not erase the need for human judgment.—
Solange Charas,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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According to the Harvard Business Review, a 1% improvement in pricing can drive up to an 11% increase in profits.—
Vidhi Agrawal,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Within the first year, the business not only turned a profit but recouped the entire startup investment.—
Rhiannon Frater,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
Verb
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This edition of Forbes Daily was edited by Sarah Whitmire.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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The digital version of this interview was edited and produced by Majd Al-Waheidi.—
Leila Fadel,
NPR,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Lethal injection is the only method of execution after firing squads were abolished in 2011.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 June 2025
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Beginning in the 1950s, between 20 million and 25 million households gained ownership of plots of land through the government’s scheme to abolish the colonial-era zamindari system of tax-collecting landlords.—
Michael Albertus,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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