wipe the slate clean

idiom

: to forget all the things that have happened or been done and start doing something again : to start again from the very beginning
She wishes she could wipe the slate clean and start over in a different career.

Examples of wipe the slate clean in a Sentence

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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.
With the average refund at $3,300 and the average U.S. household carrying about $8,000 in credit card debt, though, most of us won’t be able to wipe the slate clean entirely. — Dan Avery, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025 The pardons will also wipe the slate clean for violent offenders who went after the police on Jan. 6 with baseball bats, two-by-fours and bear spray and are serving prison terms, in some cases of more than a decade. — Alan Feuer, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for wipe the slate clean

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Browse Nearby Words

wipe (something) clean
wipe the slate clean
wipe the smile off one's face
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Cite this Entry

“Wipe the slate clean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wipe%20the%20slate%20clean. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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