cleansed; cleansing; cleanses
1
: clean
especially
: to rid of impurities by or as if by washing
cleansed the wound
It's that mystical state most athletes are lucky to achieve a few times in their careers. The mind is cleansed. The body is free. —
Jon Wertheim
Jon Wertheim 2
: to expel, imprison, or kill (the members of an ethnic minority) in (an area) : to subject to or remove by ethnic cleansing
In 1996, tens of thousands of ethnic Tutsis, most of them of Rwandan origin, were murdered or ethnically cleansed in the Masisi region of eastern Zaire.—David Rieff
David Rieff
: to engage in or undergo a cleanse to remove toxins from the body
Some people who cleanse say they experience dramatic physical changes.—Karen Hube
Karen Hube
: a very restrictive short-term diet primarily intended to remove toxins from the body
Under the supervision of her nutritionist … Gillian Anderson has reportedly participated in cleanses that consist of little more than liquids for 10 days.—J. D. Heiman
J. D. Heiman… told me about her 28-day cleanse, which limits the caffeine, sugar, gluten, dairy and red meat in your diet.—Jon Harris
Jon HarrisExamples of cleanse in a Sentence
Verb
The cut should be cleansed gently with mild soap and water.
in an elaborate ritual the priestess cleansed the gathering of supplicants
Recent Examples on the Web
Angela Lei, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
After cleansing, dousing her skin with vitamin C, and patting on a smidge of eye cream, the Drop star prepares to finish her skin-care regimen with Paula’s Choice Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2025
Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2025
Then, to complete the deep clean, use a dishwasher cleaning tablet, like those from Affresh, or doing a two part vinegar and baking soda cleanse.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanse
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Verb
Mix a pea sized amount with holi (water) and pat all over the face, lips neck and chest after cleansing.
—Angela Lei, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
After cleansing, dousing her skin with vitamin C, and patting on a smidge of eye cream, the Drop star prepares to finish her skin-care regimen with Paula’s Choice Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
Closet cleanses are all the rage; My former Vogue colleague Liana Satenstein has even made a whole business out of helping folks purge their closets.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2025
Then, to complete the deep clean, use a dishwasher cleaning tablet, like those from Affresh, or doing a two part vinegar and baking soda cleanse.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanse
Cite this Entry
“Cleanse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanse. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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