1
as in pardon
a setting free from a charge of wrongdoing
the clearing of his good name became his obsession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in opening
to rid the surface of (as an area) from things in the way
the early settlers worked hard to clear the land for crops
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ridding
to set (a person or thing) free of something that encumbers
cleared the woods of brush
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in paying
to give what is owed for
finally cleared the last debt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in emptying
to remove the contents of
cleared a drawer so there would be a place to store his clothes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in filtering
to remove usually visible impurities from
cleared the car windows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in freeing
to set free from entanglement or difficulty
cleared himself of any involvement in the matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in smoothing
to make passage through (something) possible by removing obstructions
plows promptly cleared the roads of snow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in acquitting
to free from a charge of wrongdoing
she had once been accused of embezzlement, but an investigation by the bank cleared her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in approving
to give official acceptance of as satisfactory
the administration cleared the plan, and building should begin shortly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in removing
to take away from a place or position
cleared the dishes from the table
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in informing
to give information to
please clear my mind about the new arrangement regarding reimbursement for traveling expenses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in earning
to receive after charges and deductions have been made
cleared enough from that stock transaction to be able to afford a new luxury automobile
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clearing
Joe Vardon, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Docked off the coast of Gibraltar, hundreds of British sailors are waiting to be deployed for a mine-clearing mission to the Strait of Hormuz that is still in doubt.
—Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
But in its ruling, the Supreme Court sided with Pitchford, clearing the way for his conviction to be invalidated.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clearing
Noun
There was a clearing of the air at the time of the Harden trade, and Gilbert had not shown any signs of losing faith in Atkinson (his show of support during the second round was substantial).
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Docked off the coast of Gibraltar, hundreds of British sailors are waiting to be deployed for a mine-clearing mission to the Strait of Hormuz that is still in doubt.
—Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Verb
No launch pad There’s a reason why, before the very first launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket in 2018, SpaceX founder Elon Musk defined success as the vehicle clearing the launch pad.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
But in its ruling, the Supreme Court sided with Pitchford, clearing the way for his conviction to be invalidated.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clearing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clearing
Noun
-
Pamela Hemphill, who served a 60-day sentence for participating in the insurrection, later rejected a pardon from the president for her actions.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
24 May 2026
-
Senegal supporters who were detained in Morocco following the Africa Cup of Nations final between the two nations in January have been freed after being given a royal pardon from the King of Morocco.—
Luke Bosher,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Demuth led the field through four ballots, but after Lindell failed to advance to the fifth ballot, Qualls took the lead and the number of votes cast fell.—
Jimmy Lovrien,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
-
On the opposite side of the field, Wilson and Rodríguez stood near the first-base dugout alongside Rays mascots.—
Chantz Martin OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
All are available as ground-floor garden units (timber floors; a king-size bed centered on doors opening onto a private terrace and garden) or upstairs (mirrored in layout but with plush carpets and four-poster beds; views of the surrounding gardens and distant mountains from Juliet balconies).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
-
The film, which screened at a number of global festivals, has been credited for opening the door for a new wave of Japanese ultra-violent horror and science-fiction cinema.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Ways to Get Rid of Weeds Between Pavers The best method for ridding your patio or stone path of weeds depends largely on the severity of the weed problem.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Apr. 2026
-
During Blue Bloods' 14 seasons from 2010 until 2024, Wahlberg got some experience ridding himself of his Boston accent to play a Brooklynite.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At current levels, investors are paying for durability and growth visibility.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
-
If shooters continue to win the war against their goaltending brethren, then the fungibility of NHL goaltenders will continue to increase, and teams will be more incentivized to avoid paying premium prices for goaltenders, both in terms of their compensation and on the trade market.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
On the day Waldorf was admitted to the hospital, ProPublica had published an investigation on the death of Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old medical assistant who died of infection after doctors delayed emptying her uterus.—
Kavitha Surana,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
On the day Waldorf was admitted to the hospital, ProPublica had published an investigation on the death of Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old medical assistant who died of infection after doctors delayed emptying her uterus.—
Kavitha Surana,
ProPublica,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Modern buyers have become incredibly skilled at filtering out anything that sounds like a sales pitch.—
Jehan Lalkaka,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
Luxury rental platform Plum Guide also reported a 17% rise in searches for unplugged, tech-lite properties — a signal that travelers are actively filtering for stays that promise less connectivity, not more.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
There was not even one tiny part of me that missed being able to refer to myself as we, so immense was the relief of freeing myself of Vagner.—
Lisa Poliak,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
Public space expert and adjunct urban planning professor Jay Pitter’s book is a story of belonging, of feeling safe enough to take up space, and freeing ourselves from the judgement of others.—
Holly Corbett,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clearing. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
