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
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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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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Devan Patel, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
The deputies were in the area of Elder Creek and Mayhew roads for a cleanup at the homeless encampment.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Gaza City Mayor Yahya al-Sarraj said this part of the cleanup effort was being financed by Qatar, a major donor to Gaza for years.
—NPR, 16 Oct. 2025
Made from carbon steel with a durable nonstick coating, these pans are built to resist warping and make cleanup easy.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Josh Lopez, a coordinator with the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, said the carts are commonly removed during events, estimating that his organization has recovered an average of between three and four carts in more than 500 cleanups.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
The deputies were in the area of Elder Creek and Mayhew roads for a cleanup at the homeless encampment.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Gaza City Mayor Yahya al-Sarraj said this part of the cleanup effort was being financed by Qatar, a major donor to Gaza for years.
—NPR, 16 Oct. 2025
Made from carbon steel with a durable nonstick coating, these pans are built to resist warping and make cleanup easy.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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The investigations into teachers’ social media posts has created a climate of vulnerability and fear, Boyd said, where both teachers and even students start self-censoring when engaging in public discourse.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 Oct. 2025
-
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s FCC chairman, James Lawrence Fly, warned the networks about censoring news commentators.—
Michael J. Socolow,
The Conversation,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lead poisoning, all but eradicated in the West, still harms millions of children in the developing world, with lead-acid battery recycling a key culprit.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Each of these roles — and several others — catered to the warmth and wit of an actress who helped eradicate regressive notions of what a Hollywood funnywoman could do.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Bilodeau was 23 at the time of Theresa’s killing and lived with his grandparents about one mile from where the girl lived and worked.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
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The issue boiled over last month after the high-profile killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail prompted state leaders to investigate the city’s transit security and spending.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sitting for too long during the day can compromise your health and shorten your lifespan.—
Fran Kritz,
Verywell Health,
17 Oct. 2025
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Ellis is meant to help brands and retailers scenario plan, leveraging predictive analytics and natural language processing (NLP) to provide real-time insights that can shorten the decisioning process.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After a sleepy start, the Americans came to life throughout the middle third of the game, and erased an early 1-0 deficit to end their October camp on a high note.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
15 Oct. 2025
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Many of those drivers could have stemmed or erased their losses simply by waiting for another year or two and paying off some or all of the remaining loan balance, Drury said.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With countless ventures on his resume, which also includes a productivity app for people with ADHD as well as an e-commerce website that donates 100% of profits to charity, Green’s days are rarely identical.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
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So far, European countries have used the profits generated by such assets to financially aid Kyiv, but some countries have been concerned about further measures due to potential financial and legal issues.—
Silvia Amaro,
CNBC,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Their responses, which have been edited slightly for length, can be found below.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Oct. 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,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, when your organization was founded less than 45 years after slavery was abolished, when Black women were still being forced to be wet nurses to the very children of those who oppressed them and lynching was a common occurrence below the Mason-Dixon Line?—
Essence,
Essence,
3 Oct. 2025
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The European Parliament has twice called for Yahaya’s release, asking Nigeria to set an example by abolishing the blasphemy laws under which he has been detained for over five years.—
Sean Nelson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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