1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in censoring
to remove objectionable parts from
cleaned up the rock star's interview before publishing it in the newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of
hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning (up)
Verb
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Meta executives emphasized at trial that the company continuously improves safety and addresses compulsive social media use without infringing on free speech or censoring users.—
Morgan Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026 -
Even before the law was passed, publishers began preemptively censoring manuscripts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead of eradicating synthetic food dyes, which is within his purview as health secretary, Kennedy has focused on using his bully pulpit to pressure food companies to voluntarily remove them.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
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The lawsuit, filed March 9 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims the plan for eradicating the deer, which have roamed the island for 100 years, was wrongfully approved by the state and needs an environmental review.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That only increased existing scrutiny of Davis’ coaching decisions — such as shortening his second-half rotation to have four players play all 20 second-half minutes — as well as his terse and awkward responses afterward.—
Aaron Beard,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
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And in August, the Department of Homeland Security proposed shortening the length of time foreign students could remain in the country.—
Lisa Song,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The young Nets still hung with the road-weary Lakers until the final minutes, erasing an early double-digit deficit and leading in the fourth quarter of their 20th loss in 22 games overall.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Oakland County is erasing $6 million in medical debt for 6,300 county residents.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The White House has scheduled a party for Friday and you, taxpayer, will be picking up the check – in more ways than one.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
26 Mar. 2026
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Guardsmen are also carrying out civic duties like picking up trash, tending to landscaping and scrubbing graffiti.—
Steven Beynon,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Outdoor Voices, once the toast of the category, faded into restructuring, wiping out its entire social media presence.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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At least 61,000 people living in the Gaza Strip have died in Israel’s subsequent military campaign aimed at wiping out Hamas and recovering the hostages.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The National Women’s Soccer League announced a new CBA in the summer of 2024 that included giving players agency on where they are traded and abolishing expansion and collegiate drafts.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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Stratton cast herself as the most progressive choice, supporting policies such as a $25 minimum wage and abolishing ICE, and managed to overcome a significant financial disadvantage.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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Is the army coming, blotting out the sun?—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
23 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Cleaning (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleaning%20%28up%29. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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