clearing out 1 of 2

noun

as in withdrawal

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

clearing out

2 of 2

verb

present participle of clear out
1
as in dispersing
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart police used tear gas to clear out the demonstrators

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in escaping
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation everyone cleared out as soon as the fire alarm began sounding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in departing
to leave a place often for another the lunch crowd usually clears out by 2:00 p.m. at the latest

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 out
Verb
But the acres burned by high-severity fires — when flames explode out of control with extreme temperatures, incinerating trees rather than simply clearing out dead vegetation — have increased thirtyfold. — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 3 July 2026 And sometimes the physical act of clearing out resets more than just the space. — John Speranza, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Prime Day may be over, but Amazon is clearing out its inventory and is still packed with deals on everything from outdoor rugs and throw pillows to string lights, planters, and patio furniture. — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 1 July 2026 What is the best place to resell clothes when clearing out a whole closet? — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026 Why the teenage brain is especially vulnerable From the early teens through the mid-20s, the brain is actively under construction, clearing out weak or redundant connections and reinforcing the circuits responsible for judgment, emotional regulation and stress response. — Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 11 June 2026 With clouds clearing out, temps could climb by Sunday and Monday, when the highs may peak near 90 degrees, the forecast shows. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026 Start off your summer on a clutter-free, minimalist note by clearing out these eight items. — Lacey Ramburger, The Spruce, 23 May 2026 This model is made for larger homes with a lot of pet fur, and its detangling design means no more manually clearing out hair clogs from the vacuum turbines. — Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clearing out
  1. withdrawal
  2. dispersing
  3. escaping
  4. departing
  5. retirement
  6. fleeing
  7. exiting
  8. egress
Noun
  • Platner’s paperwork was received by the Maine secretary of state’s office and reflected shortly thereafter in its online withdrawal list.
    — Meg Kinnard, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
  • The deal envisions peaceful relations between the two states and lays out a road map to disarm the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, secure Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanon and restore Lebanese sovereignty over its entire national territory.
    — Anthony Wanis-St John, The Conversation, 10 July 2026
Definition of withdrawal
Verb
  • After waiting hours in the sweltering heat before the wedding to see the A-list guests arrive, faithful Swifties are finally dispersing after news the couple officially tied the knot.
    — Gordon Ebanks, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
  • For driveways, porches, and patios, use a shop vac or a broom and dustpan to get rid of them without dispersing them around your yard.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 June 2026
Definition of dispersing
Verb
  • Some tea strainers feature a mesh casing, which is the best option for preventing small particles from escaping the infuser and winding up in your drink.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • New research, however, suggests our planet has a better chance of escaping that fiery end than previously thought.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of escaping
Verb
  • The model, 31, was seen departing for the ceremony with boyfriend Bradley Cooper, 51.
    — Morgan Evans, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • Celebrations began Friday evening and stretched into the early hours of Saturday morning, with stars like Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone and Paul Rudd seen departing the venue.
    — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
Definition of departing
Noun
  • The World Economic Forum calls it financial nihilism — the conclusion that the system no longer rewards prudence, driving a cohort toward crypto bets, prediction markets, and raided retirement accounts.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 July 2026
  • Conversations about retirement, grandchildren, travel, caregiving, second careers, and personal reinvention tend to feel natural within that environment.
    — Matthew Kayser Updated July 6, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of retirement
Verb
  • The actress was born in a refugee camp in Germany, where her parents had landed after fleeing from Iran.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
  • The pair of earthquakes struck on June 24, knocking down buildings, sending residents fleeing for safety and trapping some survivors under the rubble for days.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of fleeing
Verb
  • Lawtey starred in the first three seasons of BBC and HBO banking drama Industry, before exiting before this year’s fourth run.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 July 2026
  • News of the second season release date comes not long after it was reported that series star Tom Hardy will return Season 3 after a previous fallout with the show’s producers led to him briefly exiting the series.
    — Joe Otterson, Variety, 9 July 2026
Definition of exiting
Noun
  • The alternating placements of the piles/objects are very precise, which creates a series of chicanes, indicating they are not intended as obstructions but rather to prevent rapid ingress and egress by any vehicle toward the tunnels.
    — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Also think about data egress fees, model version drift, GPU supply lead times and the slow creep of proprietary APIs that quietly become very sticky.
    — Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of egress

Browse Nearby Words

clearing off
clearing out
clearings
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clearing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clearing%20out. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All