1
: an act or instance of cleaning
The children helped with the cleanup.
2
: an exceptionally large profit
made a cleanup [=killing] when he sold his stocks
: being in the fourth position in the batting order of a baseball team
a cleanup hitter
cleanup
adverb
cleaned up; cleaning up; cleans up
1
: to make a spectacular profit in a business enterprise or a killing in speculation or gambling
2
: to become free of drug or alcohol addiction
I always cleaned up for tours. … By the end of the tour, I'm perfectly clean and should have stayed sober.—
Keith Richards
Keith RichardsExamples of cleanup in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2025
Batting cleanup on that Monday afternoon, a 22-year-old Ted Williams had three hits over the two games, including his 33rd and 34th of an MLB-leading 37 total home runs that season.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 July 2025
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 July 2025
The county also can ask the state for help with cleanup efforts.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 10 Apr. 2025
Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025
An officer was dispatched to her home to clean up the lawn.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanup
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Noun
The games were, in fact, the first step in making the Seine swimmable again, with officials pumping more than $1.4 billion into its cleanup to host the open-water swimming and triathlon events.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2025
Batting cleanup on that Monday afternoon, a 22-year-old Ted Williams had three hits over the two games, including his 33rd and 34th of an MLB-leading 37 total home runs that season.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 July 2025
Adjective
Robot Vacuum Deals Holidays are always a little messy, so why not save yourself some cleanup time by picking up one of our favorite robot vacuums at a spiffy 35% discount?
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 July 2025
The county also can ask the state for help with cleanup efforts.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
Eventually, things escalate, and Iris’s friends Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Kenny (John Reynolds) come to help clean up the mess.
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025
An officer was dispatched to her home to clean up the lawn.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanup
Cite this Entry
“Cleanup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanup. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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