clean (up) 1 of 2

verb

Definition of clean (up)next
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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cleanup

2 of 2

noun

as in killing
an exceptionally large return The couple made a cleanup when they flipped the house.

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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 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)
  1. censor
  2. eradicate
  3. killing
  4. shorten
  5. erase
  6. profit
  7. edit
  8. abolish
Verb
  • 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
  • The organization said laws in both states censor certain books in public schools.
    — Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of censor
Verb
  • 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
  • Measles was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000 but has resurfaced as vaccination rates have fallen.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of eradicate
Noun
  • Two killings in 27 hours A short while later, in April 2023, Messiah Nantwi detonated.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Police got the suspect’s description from security camera footage at Nash’s home in the 4900 block of Melinda Drive, where the killings took place.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of killing
Verb
  • Over the years, the Legislature also imposed an expiration date for petition signatures and then shortened its lifespan from eight years to four years to two years.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Employees must be given 60 days' notice of their end date, unless OPM grants a waiver to shorten that period to 30 days.
    — Stephen Fowler, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of shorten
Verb
  • Time travel stories often feature grim themes of destruction and butterfly effect scenarios where even a single change can lead to disastrous outcomes (like Marty almost erasing himself from existence in Back to the Future).
    — Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2025
  • That’s the short list of what this state’s brilliant educational minds, who are clearly raising absolutely no teenage boys, expect to erase.
    — Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of erase
Noun
  • In spite of sky-high costs and little in the way of profits, generative AI systems continue to proliferate.
    — Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Launching March 21, up to a 10 percent stake will be available for fans, who will be able to share in potential profits and ownership of horror characters and franchises, and enjoy first-looks and perks.
    — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of profit
Verb
  • 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
  • This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
    — Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of edit
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of abolish

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clean (up)
cleanup

Cite this Entry

“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

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