1
as in to tidy (up)
to make a place neat and orderly by removing extraneous stuff
you're expected to clean up after you use the workroom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to censor
to remove objectionable parts from
cleaned up the rock star's interview before publishing it in the newspaper
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3
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen
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as in killing
an exceptionally large return
The couple made a cleanup when they flipped the house.
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Axios Portland, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already allocated $100 million to the cleanup effort.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025
If confirmed, Wright will take over a department that oversees the United States energy supplies, as well as the research and development of nuclear power, 17 laboratories and the cleanup of Cold War-era nuclear efforts.
—Darren Samuelsohn, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2025
Offer specific help, such as providing meals, assisting with cleanup, or connecting them to local resources and shelters.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for clean (up) 
Noun
One year after the ice storm that devastated much of the Portland area, toppling hundreds of trees and knocking out power to thousands, some Lake Oswego residents are still working on cleanup and preparing for more extreme weather.
—Axios Portland, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already allocated $100 million to the cleanup effort.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025
If confirmed, Wright will take over a department that oversees the United States energy supplies, as well as the research and development of nuclear power, 17 laboratories and the cleanup of Cold War-era nuclear efforts.
—Darren Samuelsohn, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2025
Offer specific help, such as providing meals, assisting with cleanup, or connecting them to local resources and shelters.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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Soon, though, the authorities turned against Fang Fang, censoring her posts and banning her from publishing.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
24 Jan. 2025
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In fact, the Communications Act explicitly prohibits the Commission from censoring broadcasters.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Israel then vowed to eradicate Hamas and have since devastated the Palestinian territory.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
14 Jan. 2025
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Killing female deer weakens a herd’s ability to grow, and officials thought that thinning out deer herds was the key to eradicating the disease and preserving wild herd health.—
Sophie Hartley,
Scientific American,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The highest-profile killings were the murders of Kayla Cuevas, 16, and Nisa Mickens, 15, in Brentwood on Sept. 13, 2016.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 2025
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Fowler also covered up many police killings of young black men in Baltimore by saying the cause of their deaths were undetermined.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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While many top 10 hits give the listener more chorus as a song progresses, the ‘Blinding Lights’ creators actually shorten the chorus as the song progresses.—
Gary Trust,
Billboard,
10 Jan. 2025
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The state is also working on streamlining paperwork for transfers and shortening transition timelines.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Nearby Altadena, a historically largely Black neighborhood, has essentially been erased from the map.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
15 Jan. 2025
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The odds are that the response will sit in an internal digital memory buffer for a while and not be immediately erased or discarded.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Skip to main content Vox logo Big Oil and Big Ag are teaming up to turn cow poop into energy — and profits.—
Kenny Torrella,
Vox,
13 Jan. 2025
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This seems designed to head off accusations that clubs can boost their balance sheet for PSR (profit and sustainability rules) or SCMP (Salary Cost Management Protocol) purposes.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians.—
Karin Wulf / Made by History,
TIME,
17 Jan. 2025
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The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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About a quarter century after slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico (1873), another Afro-Puerto Rican genre emerged known as the plena.—
Vanessa Diaz,
Rolling Stone,
20 Jan. 2025
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Trump said in December that the debt ceiling should be abolished, a position shared by some liberal lawmakers.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
16 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to clean (up)
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
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