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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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)
AFAR Media, 23 Oct. 2025
The crash cleanup and investigation shut down the stretch of road for hours on Tuesday night.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
For larger areas or quicker cleanup, a leaf blower can be a helpful alternative to raking.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Off the field, players in Zissi’s program perform 80 hours of community service every year, beach cleanups, volunteering at the San Diego Food Bank, and partnering with Friends of Jaclyn, which pairs children with pediatric cancer with a sports team.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Many of these nonprofit partners—such as the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, Friends of Joshua Tree, and Glacier National Park Conservancy—play a vital role during shutdowns, stepping in to fund restrooms, plow roads, and support volunteer cleanup crews.
—AFAR Media, 23 Oct. 2025
The crash cleanup and investigation shut down the stretch of road for hours on Tuesday night.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
For larger areas or quicker cleanup, a leaf blower can be a helpful alternative to raking.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Off the field, players in Zissi’s program perform 80 hours of community service every year, beach cleanups, volunteering at the San Diego Food Bank, and partnering with Friends of Jaclyn, which pairs children with pediatric cancer with a sports team.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
-
There’s community education if the state is going to censor your education.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Don’t censor yourself to avoid making a stir.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
To protect its biodiversity, New Zealand has embarked on an experiment that aims to eradicate all invasive species by the year 2050.—
NPR,
NPR,
26 Oct. 2025
-
While centuries of English governance strived to eradicate the language, many in Wales fought to preserve it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The former Fox News personality blasted Curtis for clarifying a set of comments regarding the conservative activist's killing on Wednesday's episode of The Megyn Kelly Show.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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That old story survived the reevaluation of war that took place during the Enlightenment; the transformation of the modern battlefield by mass mobilization and factory-scale killing in the twentieth century; and now, the separation between killer and target facilitated by technology.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In 2020, the Italian F4 championship season came, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Germany’s ADAC Formula Four Championship, where Crawford missed the title by two points.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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An immediate switch back to the Red Sea would shorten supply chains dramatically, causing a temporary doubling of arrivals from Asia to Europe for two weeks.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Such grotesque accounts are part of alternate histories that hegemonic discourse attempted to erase.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Nations weave myths out of victories and erase defeats with the promise of future triumphs.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, the profits would come in the form of tax revenue from the gargantuan long-term economic impact of the project — not from a spike in stock prices.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Also, while tequila giant Becle’s stock surged based on recent profit reports, sales of its core brand, the world-dominating Jose Cuervo, dropped by more than seven percent in the third quarter of this year.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Wikipedia, which launched in 2001, is an online crowdsourced encyclopedia that consists of entries written and edited by volunteers.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the 1980s, the Construction Differential Subsidy was abolished, hollowing out the commercial base.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Rogers noted that the book argues that a central cause of the war was Anglo settlers’ determination to keep slaves in bondage after Mexico largely abolished it.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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