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 Like other regular cleaning tasks, cleaning rugs should happen regularly. — Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2026 Go room by room, cleaning with soap and water first and then disinfecting, as the American Cleaning Institute advises. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2026 App control adds another layer of convenience The K70 also incorporates wireless connectivity, allowing cleaning options to be managed through a companion app. — New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026 Sara Beth Prendeville spent her childhood in the Roswell jewelry store her father founded more than five decades ago, cleaning display cases and wrapping gifts. — Amy Wenk, AJC.com, 5 Nov. 2026 Grose said Lurie won immediate support and high marks among both moderates and progressives by cleaning streets and moving people indoors while also working on longer-term problem-solving. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026 Some companies are already working toward this, such as home cleaning firm Shift that is recording the point-of-view of human workers to train house-cleaning robots. — Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026 Additional work will include cleaning and painting bridge joints, removing existing pavement markings, replacing signs and adjusting bridge gates and traffic signals. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026 Tackle small messes right away to prevent buildup and make deep-cleaning days easier. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 31 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning

Verb

Physical exfoliators use scrubbing agents to manually remove dead cells.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Nov. 2026
If the frosting has hardened, let the bag soak briefly in warm, soapy water to soften it before scrubbing.

— Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of scrubbing

Verb

The platform offered another reason, however, for removing Polson's articles and blocking his accounts from further submissions.

— TODD WALLACK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
With the Democrats’ takeover of Congress, time has run out on eliminating the Department of Education—not that this was possible without removing the Senate filibuster—or making any other significant legislative changes.

— Ilya Shapiro, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of removing

Verb

As a start, Mena recommends waiting at least 48 hours before washing your hair, incorporating a sulfate-free, color-safe shampoo on wash days, and always rinsing with cool to lukewarm water.

— Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 1 Nov. 2026
Apply the mask, then leave it on for five minutes before rinsing off.

— Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of rinsing

Verb

Adam has always coped with the world by drawing—his artwork on yellow legal pads and sticky notes illustrates the novel—but now there’s a new girl in school who’s praised for her artwork, and Adam feels his identity as an artist slipping away.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
Pan Yunzhe founded Wuji in 2019, eventually moving much of the team to Shenzhen and drawing backers such as Ant Group, HSG and Future Capital, according to PitchBook.

— Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of drawing

Verb

Trump ordered his government to invade Venezuela, imprison its President, elevate a more compliant one, and start extracting that nation’s oil and gold.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026
The challenge is economically extracting its nearly invisible ions from brine.

— Jordan Blum, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of extracting

Verb

Computer modeling of the results suggests half of the plastic bottles washing into the Great Lakes and oceans every year come from at least 10 miles and up to 120 miles away, the scientists reported.

— Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
From washing dishes at a Denny's to running the most valuable company in the world.

— Kif Leswing,Annie Palmer,Kevin Breuninger,Samantha Subin,Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of washing

Verb

Early in the second quarter, Chisholm Trail found the end zone on a 55-yard touchdown pass, cutting the margin to 21-14 heading into halftime.

— Ryan Hunt, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Nov. 2026
Within moments of picking up the phone and without even any real prompting, Kylee Russell was cutting right to the chase.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 14 Nov. 2026