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

Relevance

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

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

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

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

The Diocletian Ritual, comprising a salt scrub, cleansing mud wrap, and massage, is both invigorating and restorative.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of cleansing

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

The sanctions are aimed at cutting the ICC off from the global financial system and include threats of punishment for countries that do business with the court.

— Susannah George, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
The city faced a $1-billion budget shortfall in 2025 but, after various cost-cutting measures, managed to set aside funding for the LAPD to hire more than 500 new officers in the coming year.

— Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026