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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning (up)
Verb
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Libraries and schools that are removing and restricting books for partisan or ideological reasons are censoring them.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025 -
The fight against book bans is entering a new phase, as the number of bans plummets but concerns grow that librarians and teachers, looking to stay out of the fray, are self-censoring.—
Lexi Lonas Cochran,
The Hill,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So the pair is learning in real time how to take on the mussels on in this new environment, refining their approach to eradicating the mussels each year of treatment.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Oct. 2025
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Water through fall and any herbicides applied will likely be more effective at eradicating weeds.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The goal is to capture people’s shortening attention spans amid a fractured media landscape, said Kate Trumbull, Domino’s chief marketing officer.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
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The powder will dry the rash in a way that wiping can’t do, shortening its life cycle.—
Lauren Silbert,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
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The Miami Hurricanes were a kick away from completely erasing their deficit against the Louisville Cardinals on Friday — one that was as large as 14 points in the first quarter and still 11 points in the fourth quarter.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mitchell Summers rambled for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, including an 80-yard score, while Jack Snyder threw for 147 yards and a TD while picking up 68 yards on the ground.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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With the strong onshore winds picking up as the storm begins tracking north, coastal flooding will also exacerbate any flooding that occurs from heavy rainfall.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
11 Oct. 2025
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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DeSantis has repeatedly spoken in support of abolishing state property taxes entirely, an option that is still being considered by lawmakers—though a recent survey showed that a majority of Floridians do not back such drastic action.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
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Both Biss and Abughazaleh support abolishing ICE, and the winner of their primary will be heavily favored to hold a seat whose voters backed Kamala Harris by 37 points last year.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Unfortunately, the 2025 Perseids happened to coincide with the appearance of a waxing gibbous moon, which bleached the sky with moonlight, blotting out all but the brightest members of the ancient meteor shower.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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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 20 Oct. 2025.
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