1
as in cleans house
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 censors
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 erases
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 cleans (up)
Verb
-
In 2019, the state passed a law that censors me from saying certain things to my clients.—
Megan Schrader,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To say my colleagues and I were broken by overwork and sorrow is to accept a cover story that erases the decisions that made mass death predictable and prolonged.—
Jennifer W. Tsai,
STAT,
18 Jan. 2026
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Commutation only reduces the punishment for a crime, whereas a full pardon erases a conviction.—
Alexander Lowie,
The Conversation,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Taking zinc on the first day symptoms appear shortens the duration of respiratory viruses, such as the common cold and COVID-19.—
Megan Nunn,
Verywell Health,
7 Jan. 2026
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Unfiltered water, Adams insists, leads to sediment buildup in your water heater, which shortens its lifespan and lessens its heating efficiency.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The path to health involves aggressive treatment that eradicates the disease.—
Pedro A. Rojas Arroyo,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
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Bonacini wants gold — a sterilizing cure that eradicates every trace of the virus and cannot return.—
Jia H. Jung,
Mercury News,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, this measure abolishes them.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
31 Aug. 2025
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The Iranian parliament has just approved a law that abolishes prison sentences for those who had to leave Iran illegally.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Hinton, a Nobel Prize-winning computer scientist and a former Google executive, has warned in the past that there is a 10% to 20% chance that AI wipes out humans.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
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That timeline could shrink if a massive fraud wipes out public confidence in the Internet.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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An excuse or explanation by itself, even while being transparent, destroys trust.—
Shep Hyken,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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Beyond the immediate loss of land, erosion frequently exposes or destroys historic and archaeological sites.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Cleans (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleans%20%28up%29. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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