1
as in scrubbing
to remove the dirt from
we cleaned the clothes before donating them to charity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in removing
to take the internal organs out of
cleaned the rabbit before cooking it
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Recent Examples of cleaning
Plus, Greene points out that deep cleaning your cabinets is the best way to keep them organized!
—
Heather Bien, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
After a rabies exposure, people should seek immediate preventative medical care, known as post-exposure prophylaxis, which involves thoroughly cleaning the wound and receiving a rabies vaccination.
—Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Next up, the watchmaker dismantles the movement, carefully inspecting and thoroughly cleaning each part.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
In 2017, workers found his skeletal remains while cleaning the bottom of a well in Malia, The Guardian reported.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Jeff Miles, the environmental services director at the Unified Government, said in May that cleaning trash out of area drains and grates, as well as the completion of the storm/sewer system separation, would open up the capacities for area stormwater lines.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
The Royale Apple fabric is marked with Joybird’s cleaning code S/W, which means it can be cleaned with water alone or a dry solvent cleaner.
—Rachel Wallace, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
Physical tasks like gardening, shoveling the driveway, washing the car, and cleaning the house can get your heart rate up and count as a fat-burning activity.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 27 Aug. 2025
Heather Bien, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
After a rabies exposure, people should seek immediate preventative medical care, known as post-exposure prophylaxis, which involves thoroughly cleaning the wound and receiving a rabies vaccination.
—Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Next up, the watchmaker dismantles the movement, carefully inspecting and thoroughly cleaning each part.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
In 2017, workers found his skeletal remains while cleaning the bottom of a well in Malia, The Guardian reported.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Jeff Miles, the environmental services director at the Unified Government, said in May that cleaning trash out of area drains and grates, as well as the completion of the storm/sewer system separation, would open up the capacities for area stormwater lines.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
The Royale Apple fabric is marked with Joybird’s cleaning code S/W, which means it can be cleaned with water alone or a dry solvent cleaner.
—Rachel Wallace, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
Physical tasks like gardening, shoveling the driveway, washing the car, and cleaning the house can get your heart rate up and count as a fat-burning activity.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning
Verb
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Six months later, the internship — some of which bore all the glamour of scrubbing bird poop and bucketing hundreds of pounds of fish as dolphin food — developed into a full-time gig as a trainer.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
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Let the solution sit for a maximum of 20 minutes before scrubbing the bowl with a nylon brush or your toilet brush.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The group routinely calls for removing books at public schools and played a role in Scottsdale Unified School District's decision to pull 16 books from its library shelves in February.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Tips To Keep Your Towels Mascara-Free The best way to keep makeup from staining towels is by thoroughly removing the makeup first.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Almanza threw a 47-yard pass to Mahamadou Siby, which saw the senior haul in a catch despite the front of his jersey being grabbed and drawing a flag.—
Cody Thorn,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
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As United’s right wing-back plays the ball inside to Fernandes, Mazraoui drops, drawing Josh Laurent upfield and further vacating the space for Amad to attack.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In addition to rinsing your toothbrush thoroughly after use to remove any remaining bacteria and debris, experts suggest replacing it every three to four months.—
Cristina Mutchler,
Verywell Health,
4 Sep. 2025
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Make a savory bean dip by draining and rinsing a can of beans and then blending with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and optional herbs and chili flakes.—
Jess Cording,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Crucially, there are real-world exploits like University of California, San Diego’s (UCSD) Imprompter, which had nearly an 80% success rate in extracting personal data via obfuscated prompts.—
Camellia Chan,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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So Cali reached over, extracting it, before downing the rest.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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LaVon suggests gently cleansing the scalp with a refresher spray after sweating, followed by a few drops of lightweight oil like grapeseed.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
4 Sep. 2025
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The type of breakout determines which cleansing ingredient would work best.—
Khanh T.L. Tran,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Barcelona’s decision was not a sporting one but based on cutting wages.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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There’s people cutting sandwiches, putting the sandwiches right to the camera, squeezing the juices.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Breaking Bad actor Raymond Cruz was arrested Monday on suspicion of misdemeanor battery after allegedly spraying someone with a hose while washing his car in front of his home in Los Angeles.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Sep. 2025
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And increasing floods linked to climate change are thought to be washing the creatures further and further afield.—
Wesley Bruer,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cleaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleaning. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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