1
as in to tidy (up)
to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff
you're expected to clean up after you use the workroom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to censor
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 to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in killing
an exceptionally large return
The couple made a cleanup when they flipped the house.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Retailers have long treated returns as an inevitable cost of doing business — a line item, an afterthought, a cleanup crew.
—Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
In May 2024, a botched fuel transfer resulted in over 300 gallons of oil spilling into Silver Bay Marina on Lake Superior, prompting a multi-day cleanup effort.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Drivers are urged to use caution in the area and watch for emergency and cleanup crews.
—Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Main Street remained closed Thursday afternoon between Fremont and Vallejo as cleanup and road restoration continued.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Retailers have long treated returns as an inevitable cost of doing business — a line item, an afterthought, a cleanup crew.
—Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
In May 2024, a botched fuel transfer resulted in over 300 gallons of oil spilling into Silver Bay Marina on Lake Superior, prompting a multi-day cleanup effort.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Drivers are urged to use caution in the area and watch for emergency and cleanup crews.
—Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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Surveillance reports and early warning systems have been curtailed, while health promotion and advocacy for communities disproportionately affected by inequity are being censored.—
Stan Chu Ilo,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The few people who protest against the war on radio and television are interrupted and censored.—
Uriel Kon
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Israel's government says the offensive is aimed at eradicating Hamas, which still holds Israeli hostages.—
Aya Batrawy,
NPR,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Johnathan Maskiell was deemed a second-degree persistent felony offender as part of his April guilty plea for murder in the killing of his cellmate at the Kenton County Detention Center.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
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With a mission to rebuild abundant and biodiverse oceans, Oceana fights to stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, as well as the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, among other causes.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Several Fort Worth-area football teams had their games shortened, postponed or canceled Friday.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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This especially fresh status delivers a milder, smooth flavor but also shortens its shelf life.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the party ended not long after kickoff, in a brutal blowout loss that managed to erase nine months of hope and hype in a single 60-minute package.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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The latest federal labor data shows mothers are leaving their jobs at rates that threaten to erase the fragile gains made during the pandemic recovery.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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However, City paid more for Clinton than United did for Park, meaning United came out with a profit.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Last month Pop Mart reported an astonishing near 400% increase in profits for the first half of the year.—
Haicen Yang,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The rapper eventually admitted to editing the photo.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Chinese leader, who assumed the presidency in 2013, abolished term limits in 2018.—
Evelyn Cheng,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Bolsonaro and his allies are facing charges of leading an armed criminal organization, attempting to abolish Brazil’s democratic order by force, plotting a coup d’état, and committing violent acts against state institutions.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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