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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Expert Panel®, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
The fund provides low-interest loans with flexible terms to help with the environmental cleanup of vacant and underutilized properties.
—Celia Fernandez,tasia Jensen, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2025
That shared sense of purpose compelled them to form a cleanup brigade in the fires’ early days.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
There has never been dispute over whether the factory released or spilled the chemical at its property, where limited cleanups have been conducted since the early 2000s.
—Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Doing a quarterly grid cleanup where social media posts that are no longer relevant are archived clears space for people to receive the new social media marketing content.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
The fund provides low-interest loans with flexible terms to help with the environmental cleanup of vacant and underutilized properties.
—Celia Fernandez,tasia Jensen, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2025
That shared sense of purpose compelled them to form a cleanup brigade in the fires’ early days.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
There has never been dispute over whether the factory released or spilled the chemical at its property, where limited cleanups have been conducted since the early 2000s.
—Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
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Rachel Davidson, an attorney with the ACLU of Massachusetts, said removing the articles and censoring medical research is a serious constitutional violation.—
Deon J. Hampton,
NBC News,
13 Mar. 2025
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Three years later, as part of that push, Wynn-Williams said Facebook considered a strategy to enter the country that would involve partnering with a Chinese company that would censor and hand over user data on behalf of the Chinese government.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
The Mercury News,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Measles is a disease that has been considered largely eradicated in the United states for more than 20 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
14 Mar. 2025
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The president signed an executive order in January that would help eradicate DEI programs across the federal government, with Cabinet members carrying out the order in various ways.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Last month 10 former New York corrections employees were indicted in the killing of Robert Brooks, an inmate violently beaten while handcuffed in a prison infirmary in December.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA TODAY,
4 Mar. 2025
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Migrant arrivals at the U.S. border are at their lowest in years, and last week, Mexico extradited 29 cartel figures to the U.S., including the man involved in the 1985 killing of a DEA agent.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The city moved up and shortened the celebration’s two biggest parades, hoping to wrap them up before high winds moved in.—
Jeff Martin and Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2025
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That intermingled production ecosystem represents a whopping $20 billion in trade, and the interest in shortening supply chains that has taken hold in recent years has spurred consistent investment across the region.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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However, the fact the show includes Laurie’s Christianity while simultaneously erasing a scene featuring a trans character hints at Disney’s embrace of a cultural shift towards traditional conservatism during the second Trump administration.—
Abby Monteil,
Them,
4 Mar. 2025
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The Sharks erased a two-goal deficit in the third period, killed off a penalty in overtime, and saw Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund both score goals in the shootout to earn a dramatic 3-2 win over the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.—
Curtis Pashelka,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In addition to being important places of pilgrimage, relics can bring in fame and quite a bit of profit and prestige to a church.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
14 Mar. 2025
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In 2024, the brand accounted for 63 percent of parent Kering’s operating profit.—
Luisa Zargani,
WWD,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But as their power supplies wane, scientists are saying goodbye to one instrument on each spacecraft By Meghan Bartels edited by Clara Moskowitz NASA’s most distant observers are losing steam as the toll of spending nearly five decades in space adds up.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2025
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Yet even as years’ worth of political backlash has drowned out calls to defund or abolish forces, perceptions of police shaped by tragedies like George Floyd and Uvalde aren’t so easily forgotten.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
12 Mar. 2025
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But the administration's efforts to abolish federal agencies authorized by Congress are likely to meet the same fate as their attempts to stiff USAID contractors.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 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 18 Mar. 2025.
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