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
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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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That prescription erases one-quarter of the shortfalls and saves $190 billion over the next decade.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
But a 4-6-3 double play erases the threat.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That shortens the public comment period to 21 days instead of 45, meaning changes to project costs can be done faster, at the same speed as INDOT.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The urgency has grown as his career runway shortens.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This method completely eradicates weeds on contact without any toxic chemicals.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
-
These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, this measure abolishes them.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
31 Aug. 2025
-
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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The extreme heat kills the plant tissue immediately and typically destroys the roots of many weed species.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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Intrigued, the Duke secretly seduces Gilda, breaks her heart and destroys Rigoletto’s life.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 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 29 Mar. 2026.
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