CLEANING Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

cleaning

verb

present participle of clean

as in scrubbing

to remove the dirt from we cleaned the clothes before donating them to charity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in removing

to take the internal organs out of cleaned the rabbit before cooking it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cleaning The facility lacks a log for keeping records of cleaning and sanitizing the freshwater tank and system. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026 High school sports programs are filled with dozens of volunteers — manning the snack bar, taking tickets, helping provide security, cleaning floors, carrying equipment and taking statistics. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 After cleaning the pizza slicer, an employee proceeded to return it to the pizza cutting table without sanitizing. — Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Using reduced cream instead of part of the milk, and adding the milk a little at a time over a long period, and contnnually cleaning the Fons on the bottom of the pan. — Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026 Hilton’s ‘travel with purpose’ program encourages employees to engage in community projects such as litter picking, cleaning river banks, and helping young people with CV writing. — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026 One of Stallone's earliest gigs was cleaning the lion cages at Central Park Zoo. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Memory foam typically requires handwashing or spot cleaning instead. — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 2 Oct. 2026 Dyson is famous for its sleek and powerful devices, and the V8 steps up to the cleaning plate to keep proving its reputation right. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning

Verb

The company dispensed with its DEI disclosures to investors, scrubbing any references to goals and resources aimed at boosting diversity at the company.

— Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
Let everything sit on your toilet bowl for a while before scrubbing gently and finally flushing your toilet.

— Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of scrubbing

Verb

But automakers like Tesla, Volkswagen and Volvo have been removing AM radios from some newer models over the past few years, especially electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, since EV motors affect the sound.

— Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026
Compatible Galaxy phones use Galaxy AI Photo Assist, which includes tools for moving, removing and adding objects in a photo.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of removing

Verb

On that note, another common mistake is not rinsing hair conditioner thoroughly enough once you’re done.

— Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 10 Oct. 2026
Previous strategies for growing plants on Mars included rinsing these poisons out, bringing supplemental fertilizers from Earth, or avoiding Martian soil entirely and using hydroponics.

— Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of rinsing

Verb

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has warned that drawing the reserve down too far could damage the salt caverns where the oil is stored.

— Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
Later that decade, hippie love-ins were held regularly at the base of the carousel, occasionally drawing the likes of the Hells Angels or law enforcement.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of drawing

Verb

The Falcon-Emirati model and related tools for speech recognition and extracting Arabic text from images and documents are relatively compact.

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Over the past quarter century, foreign direct investment across sub-Saharan Africa has remained relatively flat—around two to three percent as a share of GDP—and most of it has gone to extracting oil, diamonds, and gold and other minerals.

— Jared Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of extracting

Verb

Upgrading to the Thrust Variant requires a $245,000 follow-up payment and adds SpaceX cold-gas rear thrusters alongside an active multi-mode fan system for downforce, cutting acceleration down to under a second.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
And by cutting China off, Washington gave Beijing every reason to build its own alternatives.

— Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026