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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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
What is the best place to resell clothes when clearing out a whole closet? — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026 And sometimes the physical act of clearing out resets more than just the space. — John Speranza, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Start off your summer on a clutter-free, minimalist note by clearing out these eight items. — Lacey Ramburger, The Spruce, 23 May 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 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 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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clearing out
  1. withdrawal
  2. dispersing
  3. escaping
  4. departing
  5. retirement
  6. fleeing
  7. exiting
  8. egress
Noun
  • That means withdrawals will be taxed as ordinary income and could be subject to early withdrawal penalties if used for unqualified expenses.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Critics counter that the abrupt withdrawal of aid is already having devastating humanitarian consequences.
    — W. Gyude Moore, semafor.com, 2 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
  • The combination remained effective because escaping both antibodies required multiple simultaneous mutations rather than a single genetic change.
    — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Workers were able to prevent more than 1,000 other monkeys at the facility from escaping.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 30 June 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
  • Lastly, Salinas had an active warrant against him filed in May for fleeing from police after a hit and run.
    — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • Upon arrival, officers saw two people and a child allegedly fleeing from the store into a vehicle.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of fleeing
Verb
  • Asian national teams largely disappointed at the World Cup, with most exiting after the group stage, a stark contrast to African teams' historic success.
    — Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The Ada County Coroner’s Office identified 65-year-old Dawn Hettinger of Nampa as the woman killed after exiting her vehicle on westbound Interstate 84 about 20 miles east of Boise.
    — Chadd Cripe. Produced with AI assistance, Idaho Statesman, 2 July 2026
Definition of exiting
Noun
  • 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
  • Cars honked – not in impatience as their egress was completely stalled by streams of fans, but in solidarity.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 14 June 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 7 Jul. 2026.

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