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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The festival was first accused of censoring political talk when prominent attendees, including jury president Wim Wenders, declined to discuss politics.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026 -
This is Charley self-censoring.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Maybe the Clyborns made their money by developing vaccines and eradicating diseases around the world.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Tar Heels faded badly in the VCU game, with Davis shortening his rotation to keep four players on the floor for the entire second half while another played 15 minutes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
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The subway project is designed to extend the Q line almost 2 miles into Harlem and East Harlem, shortening the daily commutes of upwards of 100,000 New Yorkers.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As many historical figures’ controversial legacies have become mainstream so has erasing their presence from the public eye.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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During his time working for Epstein, Indyke was implicated in emails about erasing hard drives, and FBI interviews show that Epstein referred victims to Indyke in the event they were contacted by law enforcement, according to Department of Justice documents.—
Ava Berger,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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Other special honors include Miley Cyrus getting the iHeartRadio Innovator Award, Alex Warren receiving the iHeartRadio Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award, and John Mellencamp picking up the iHeartRadio Icon Award.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 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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And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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But two shootings of US citizens and scenes of unrest in Minnesota are blotting out any hope of that.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
27 Jan. 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 22 Mar. 2026.
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