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 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 While effective at cleaning, Whittenburg notes that phenols are toxic to cats. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 1 Oct. 2026 Once, at their home, Randolph was cleaning his guns when one discharged, almost hitting Allmon. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026 Leave the cleaning solution to soak on the rubber gasket for about 5 to 10 minutes. — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2026 In all, roughly 1,200 workers are still grinding away, some with power tools, others with 10-foot-long feather dusters, cleaning the rafters beneath the canopy. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53, was driving the cleaning company’s van when the Boeing 767 ran off the runway and struck his vehicle. — Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning

Verb

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
Storing knives loose in a drawer and scrubbing them too zealously creates a fine network of scratches, further dulling the finish.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of scrubbing

Verb

About 50 employees signed off on an email to leadership expressing concerns and providing suggestions, such as evaluating clutter and removing items like pillows that are hotspots for the insects.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
The Robin offers a little more structure and can even be transformed into a clutch by removing the adjustable strap.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of removing

Verb

The company is drawing a line between sanctioned and unsanctioned sharing with outside safety groups at the same time the industry is, slowly, inviting those groups in.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
The collector Beth Rudin DeWoody has bought, often on impulse, everything from a Benny Andrews drawing to a miniature poodle.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of drawing

Verb

Head spas are credited with cleansing the scalp, stimulating blood flow, strengthening hair follicles and lowering stress and anxiety.

— Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Wellbeing Butlers are at your beck and call to arrange reiki, gratifyingly strong massages in open air, cleansing Balinese ceremonies at the resort temple, or sunrise qi gong on the practically private sand.

— Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of cleansing

Verb

Refiners turn oil discarded by restaurants and other waste fats into transportation fuel, extracting additional value from crops already grown and oils that have already served their original purpose.

— Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Two oil companies, Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum, are due to begin a joint project extracting from the oilfield within two years.

— Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of extracting

Verb

The self-sanitizing pod is equipped with a power-washing system that cleans and disinfects the toilet and the floor for a few minutes after each use.

— Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
For some, that means washing one or two times a week compared to the UK or US, where 41% of people wash upwards of three times a week, with 21% washing their hair every other day.

— Anita Bhagwandas, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of washing

Verb

This change is apparent in the fact that European governments, too, are cutting funding for religious freedom advocacy.

— Matthew Schmitz, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
In a sign of growing staff unrest over the steady stream of cost-cutting announcements across the BBC, some workers made their feelings known on a Microsoft Teams call earlier this week.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of cutting

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“Cleaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleaning. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cleaning

verb

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