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)
Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Last year, Waukegan finished the environmental cleanup from the former Fansteel industrial plant on the south lakefront.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Hall of Famer Chipper Jones was a 23-year-old rookie on the 1995 team, playing third base and batting third, with McGriff batting cleanup and Justice batting fifth.
—David O'Brien, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Full of chicken, broccoli, and bacon, this pasta meal cooks in a creamy sauce and goes from stovetop to oven to table, making cleanup a breeze.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Officials declined to specify how frequently troops have been tasked with cleanup duties, but emphasized the effort supports community improvement alongside public safety operations.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Last year, Waukegan finished the environmental cleanup from the former Fansteel industrial plant on the south lakefront.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Hall of Famer Chipper Jones was a 23-year-old rookie on the 1995 team, playing third base and batting third, with McGriff batting cleanup and Justice batting fifth.
—David O'Brien, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Full of chicken, broccoli, and bacon, this pasta meal cooks in a creamy sauce and goes from stovetop to oven to table, making cleanup a breeze.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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Surveillance reports and early warning systems have been curtailed, while health promotion and advocacy for communities disproportionately affected by inequity are being censored.—
Stan Chu Ilo,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The few people who protest against the war on radio and television are interrupted and censored.—
Uriel Kon
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bonacini wants gold — a sterilizing cure that eradicates every trace of the virus and cannot return.—
Jia H. Jung,
Mercury News,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Israel's government says the offensive is aimed at eradicating Hamas, which still holds Israeli hostages.—
Aya Batrawy,
NPR,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Johnathan Maskiell was deemed a second-degree persistent felony offender as part of his April guilty plea for murder in the killing of his cellmate at the Kenton County Detention Center.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
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With a mission to rebuild abundant and biodiverse oceans, Oceana fights to stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, as well as the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, among other causes.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Several Fort Worth-area football teams had their games shortened, postponed or canceled Friday.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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This especially fresh status delivers a milder, smooth flavor but also shortens its shelf life.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the party ended not long after kickoff, in a brutal blowout loss that managed to erase nine months of hope and hype in a single 60-minute package.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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The latest federal labor data shows mothers are leaving their jobs at rates that threaten to erase the fragile gains made during the pandemic recovery.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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However, City paid more for Clinton than United did for Park, meaning United came out with a profit.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Last month Pop Mart reported an astonishing near 400% increase in profits for the first half of the year.—
Haicen Yang,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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,
3 Sep. 2025
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The rapper eventually admitted to editing the photo.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Chinese leader, who assumed the presidency in 2013, abolished term limits in 2018.—
Evelyn Cheng,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Bolsonaro and his allies are facing charges of leading an armed criminal organization, attempting to abolish Brazil’s democratic order by force, plotting a coup d’état, and committing violent acts against state institutions.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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