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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
hurriedly cleaned up the mess that they had created in the kitchen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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)
Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 May 2026
In the fourth inning, cleanup hitter Liberty Waysz belted a one-out double to left field.
—Martin Henderson, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
No more post-haircut cleanup required, the grooming piece is attached to a small, quiet vacuum that houses all of those loose hairs.
—Trisha Easto, USA Today, 15 May 2026
This is not a one-time cleanup cost.
—Tammy Hawes, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
The enamel coating also makes cleanup easier and adds extra durability.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 May 2026
In the fourth inning, cleanup hitter Liberty Waysz belted a one-out double to left field.
—Martin Henderson, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
No more post-haircut cleanup required, the grooming piece is attached to a small, quiet vacuum that houses all of those loose hairs.
—Trisha Easto, USA Today, 15 May 2026
This is not a one-time cleanup cost.
—Tammy Hawes, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
-
Images of the enclosure are tightly censored and obscured on digital mapping platforms.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
-
Shame on any educational institution that censors speech condemning it.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Armed with a forestry degree from Yale, Leopold was tasked with running a program to eradicate wolves and mountain lions in New Mexico and Arizona.—
Mark VanderSchaaf,
Twin Cities,
18 May 2026
-
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio has not been eradicated, according to the World Health Organization.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Cynteria’s killing — and the girl’s history of abuse — changed how child welfare workers track runaway children.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
-
He was arrested in May 2024 and was later charged with Vesey’s killing while behind bars, with investigators revealing she had been murdered inside her apartment the day after her 21st birthday on July 12, 1980, officials said.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The procedure could shorten Snell’s recovery time by a month, compared to a more traditional arthroscopic procedure.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
-
The average distance between where family lives and where the childcare is taking place has also been shortened, the mayor said.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Ranger Suarez’s streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings came to an end in a long bottom of the first in which the Kansas City Royals instantly erased a 1-0 Boston Red Sox lead.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
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Another benefit of the finale was that any reference to that era was all but erased short of a single Soldier Boy name-drop.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Net profits totaled $254 million while the operating margin expanded 280 basis points to 6 percent.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
-
Every minute of our life is fodder for profit maximization.—
Chris Murphy,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
-
It can also be used to edit video using simple, conversational language.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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The Republican Party was then in a state of relative emergency—the Civil War had been won and slavery had been abolished, but Black Americans in the South were still subject to terrorism and intimidation, while whites in the North had shown resistance to the idea of Black suffrage.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
19 May 2026
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After months of shutdown fights, bipartisan condemnation, and calls to abolish ICE entirely, the last thing the administration may want is another headline.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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