CLEANING (UP) Synonyms: 139 Similar and Opposite Words

cleaning (up)

verb

present participle of clean (up)

as in tidying (up)

to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff you're expected to clean up after you use the workroom

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as in censoring

to remove objectionable parts from cleaned up the rock star's interview before publishing it in the newspaper

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as in eradicating

to destroy all traces of hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning (up)

Verb

The teen is picking up extra shifts at work to help pay for food for her family in Johnson County and help her father pay for commissary food in Leavenworth.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 13 Nov. 2026
Schaefer and Eklund, two of the Islanders’ young cornerstones, came up with key contributions while each picking up a point for the fourth straight game.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of picking up

Verb

Pugh called out Instagram for censoring her initial posts on the matter.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Nov. 2026
Equal-time rule doesn’t apply, group says The equal-time rule prohibits broadcast stations from censoring or rejecting political ads paid for and sponsored by legally qualified candidates.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of censoring

Verb

Burnham has also made pledges about reducing, and even eradicating, homelessness, improving care for the elderly and meeting NATO targets on defense spending.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Canney says eradicating this invasive species usually requires a combination of mechanical and chemical methods, applied carefully and consistently.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of eradicating

Verb

Her ever-shortening list of agents associated with Wildflower leads her to attempt to team up again with Laila, who Conteh says was dropped from active duty about six months ago and has been AWOL ever since.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Leaves are falling, days are shortening, and there’s a chill in the air.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of shortening

Verb

But, yes, quality wins also would go a long way toward further erasing doubts.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Naturally, the Cubs couldn’t leave well enough alone and sent out workers to powerwash The Wall a few days later, erasing all the thoughtful messages.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of erasing

Verb

Shares slumped 16% for a third straight session of losses, wiping out $400 billion in market cap on Monday alone.

— Gail Krishnan, CNBC, 23 June 2026
The prospect of even a mini-Dust Bowl is alarming as the original disaster during the Great Depression sent dust clouds across rural America, wiping out entire communities and triggering mass migration to other parts of the country.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 June 2026

Definition of wiping out

Verb

Her other policy goals include ending military aid to Israel, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and laying the groundwork for Medicare for All, universal childcare and eldercare.

— CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
Cracking down on undocumented immigration and abolishing Indiana’s property taxes are his top issues.

— Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of abolishing

Verb

For a few minutes at each end of that window, the moon’s edge will appear to align with that of the sun, blotting out the star’s fierce light and revealing the wispy corona off to one side.

— Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2026
From up in the space shuttle, in 1983, astronaut Sally Ride could see the pollution blotting out her Los Angeles hometown.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026

Definition of blotting out

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.

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Style

“Cleaning (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleaning%20%28up%29. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of cleaning (up)

verb

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