clearing out 1 of 2

noun

as in withdrawal

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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

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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

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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

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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
Parents showed up at Walmart in Hollywood, loading up on school supplies and clearing out shelves ahead of the start of school this week. — Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 High pressure limits winds near the surface, which prevents the smoke from clearing out. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 The company must also sanitize the freezer within seven days of clearing out remaining food waste. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 Penny had seen ads for his company, which specializes in working with senior citizens overwhelmed by the downsizing process and the prospect of clearing out and fixing up their houses to sell. — Marni Jameson, Arkansas Online, 24 July 2026 Namely, according to the poster, clearing out a homeless encampment near the QuickTrip at 81st and State streets. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clearing out
  1. withdrawal
  2. dispersing
  3. escaping
  4. departing
  5. retirement
  6. fleeing
  7. exiting
  8. egress
Noun
  • In the five years since the chaotic US withdrawal from Kabul and the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan has become home to one of the world’s worst human rights and humanitarian emergencies.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The Board of Peace laid out a 15-point roadmap covering the withdrawal and disarmament.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of withdrawal
Verb
  • The star will eventually die, destroying the lion and dispersing all the gas and dust into interstellar space.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The bank also called in the federal government, with FBI agents dispersing to Bellum’s Burbank high-rise and the bank’s offices.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of dispersing
Verb
  • Charging documents said both suspects were then seen on video running into a nearby home before eventually escaping through the back of the house.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In defiance of Pacho’s tight hold, Madjo shrugged the Ecuador international, escaping behind and emphatically volleying into the roof of the net.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of escaping
Verb
  • Trump was secretly shuttled off an Air Force One jet and taken to a smaller, Air Force Boeing C-32A plane via a catering truck just before departing Ankara, Turkey, on July 8 multiple outlets reported.
    — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Advertisement No Democratic lawmakers seeking other office have won their primaries so far, though some departing congressmembers on both sides are still awaiting primaries.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of departing
Noun
  • Mashburn said baby boomers are redefining retirement, right down to who runs the place.
    — Itay Hod, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Lenti Ponsetto, after 18 years leading DePaul athletics—and 42 years overall at the private Big East school—announced her retirement in June 2020, just six weeks after Conviser filed her initial suit in Cook County court.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of retirement
Verb
  • An Aurora man accused of killing a female bicyclist in Hampshire with his pickup truck and then fleeing the scene has been charged with felony failure to report a crash resulting in a death, officials said.
    — Elgin Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Key Background Reiner was accused of fatally stabbing his parents at their home in December and was arrested that same day after fleeing.
    — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of fleeing
Verb
  • Ranju Das, the athleisure giant’s first-ever chief AI and technology officer, is exiting after less than a year on the job, Bloomberg reports.
    — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Some of those exiting patrons made their way to hotels that saw a 25% revenue bump between the World Cup and Sail Boston.
    — Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of exiting
Noun
  • Special traffic patterns will be installed along Warner Street, Alluvion Street, Worcester Street, and Bayard Street for egress near the end of the concerts.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In March, Miller, the lone survivor of the Piedmont crash, also sued Tesla over its electronic door-opening and emergency-egress systems.
    — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of egress

Browse Nearby Words

clearing off
clearing out
clearings
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Cite this Entry

“Clearing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clearing%20out. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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