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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaning (up)
Verb
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Back then, Comedy Central responded by heavily censoring the episodes — bleeping all mentions of Muhammad’s name and removing key dialogue — and later pulled them from streaming platforms and reruns entirely.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025 -
In the video above, the show's audio can be heard cutting out, censoring whatever Goldberg said next.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That's where the goal of eradicating invasive species comes into play.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Sixth-generation Texas rancher James Clement III told CNBC the key to eradicating the screwworm threat is years out.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Fox’s four-season pickup of the series earlier this year included shortening those seasons to 15 episodes each; the previous two had 18 episodes, and for most of The Simpsons’ life a season meant 20 or more.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
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White cake is fluffy, light, and pale, made with egg whites and often shortening and clear vanilla for a bright white finish.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 Nov. 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,
8 Nov. 2025
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Rising sea levels and relentless storms are erasing land faster than locals – or officials – can respond.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Running back Ryan Walters was just shy of 100 yards picking up 99 on 16 carries.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
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While reflecting on her first performance, Furtado remembered buying the pink dress from a store called Original on Queen West in Toronto, and also picking up some sparkly platform shoes for the monumental moment.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
25 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 14 Nov. 2025.
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