cleaning (out)

verb

present participle of clean (out)
as in defrauding

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning (out)
  1. defrauding
  2. shortchanging
  3. cheating
Verb
  • Legal and investigative records from Texas show that Soto from 2013 to 2019 engaged in a series of ventures that the state’s courts found amounted to defrauding investors of hundreds of thousands of dollars in total.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Federal prosecutors have charged multiple nonprofit leaders with defrauding taxpayer funds meant to support the homeless.
    — Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of defrauding
Verb
  • The sixth season has been able to have its cake and eat it, too, ramping up the action without shortchanging viewers on spy craft and intrigue.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • What’s worse is the scene that follows, revealing the clean-up of multiple bodies and an elaborate rewriting of the narrative that strains credulity to put it mildly, not to mention shortchanging the Mexican characters.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shortchanging
Verb
  • Later on, after the guests have left, this cheating convention makes Kaylee nervous.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026
  • There are people out there saying that the Brewers are cheating.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheating
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.

Browse Nearby Words

cleaning (off)
cleaning (out)
cleaning (up)
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Cite this Entry

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

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