clean up

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clean

(klēn)

adj. clean·er, clean·est

1. Free from dirt, stain, or impurities; unsoiled: a clean kitchen floor; clean clothes.

a. Free from foreign matter or pollution; unadulterated: clean air; clean drinking water.

b. Not infected: a clean wound.

a. Producing relatively little pollution: a clean fuel; a cleaner, more efficient engine.

b. Producing relatively little radioactive fallout or contamination: a clean nuclear bomb.

4. Having no imperfections or blemishes; regular or even: a clean edge; a smooth, clean joint.

a. Not ornate or intricate; spare: "the clean lines and exquisite proportions of early modernism" (Judith Thurman).

b. Sharply defined; clear-cut: a clean outline against the sky.

6. Free from clumsiness; deft; adroit: a clean throw.

7. Devoid of restrictions or encumbrances: a clean bill of health.

8. Thorough; complete: a clean getaway.

9. Having few alterations or corrections; legible: clean manuscript.

10. Blank: a clean page.

11.

a. Morally pure; virtuous: led a clean life.

b. Having no marks of discredit or offense: a clean voting record.

12. Fit for all readers, listeners, or audiences; not ribald or obscene: a clean joke.

13. Honest or fair: a clean fighter; a clean competition.

14. Slang

a. Not carrying concealed weapons or drugs.

b. Innocent of a suspected crime.

15. Informal

a. Free from narcotics addiction.

b. Showing no evidence of using banned or performance-enhancing substances: proven to be clean before the race.

adv. cleaner, cleanest

1. So as to be unsoiled: wash the dishes clean.

2. In a fair manner: played the game clean.

3. In a clean or nonpolluting manner: a fuel that burns clean.

4. Informal Entirely; wholly: clean forgot the appointment.

v. cleaned, clean·ing, cleans

v.tr.

1. To rid of dirt, rubbish, or impurities: clean a room; clean a suit.

2. To get rid of (impurities or dirt, for example); remove: cleaned up the trash; cleaned off the stains.

3. To prepare (fowl or other food) for cooking, as by removing the entrails or fat.

4. To remove the contents from; empty: cleaned my plate.

5. Sports To lift (a barbell) from the floor to the shoulders in one motion.

v.intr.

To undergo or perform an act of cleaning.

Phrasal Verbs:

clean out

1. To rid of dirt, rubbish, or impurities.

2. To empty of contents or occupants.

3. Informal To drive or force out: cleaned out the incompetent workers.

4. Slang To deprive completely of money or material wealth: The robbery cleaned us out.

clean up

1. To make clean or orderly.

2. To make oneself clean, neat, or presentable.

3. To dispose of; settle: cleaned up the unpaid bills.

4. Slang To make a large profit, often in a short period of time: cleaned up during the bull market.

Idiom:

clean house Slang

To eliminate or discard what is undesirable: The scandal forced the company to clean house.

[Middle English clene, from Old English clǣne.]

clean′a·ble adj.

clean′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

clean up

vb (adverb)

1. to rid (something) of dirt, filth, or other impurities

2. to make (someone or something) orderly or presentable

3. (tr) to rid (a place) of undesirable people or conditions: the campaign against vice had cleaned up the city.

4. (intr) informal to make a great profit

a. the process of cleaning up or eliminating something

b. (as modifier): a cleanup campaign.

6. informal chiefly US a great profit

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	clean up - put (things or places) in order; "Tidy up your room!" neaten, square away, tidy, tidy up, straighten, straighten out make up, make - put in order or neaten; "make the bed"; "make up a room" order - bring order to or into; "Order these files" clean house, houseclean, clean - clean and tidy up the house; "She housecleans every week"
	2.	clean up - make a big profit; often in a short period of time; "The investor really cleaned up when the stock market went up" turn a profit, profit - make a profit; gain money or materially; "The company has not profited from the merger"
	3.	clean up - dispose of; "settle the bills" settle - dispose of; make a financial settlement
	4.	clean up - make oneself clean, presentable or neat; "Clean up before you go to the party" neaten, groom - care for one's external appearance; "He is always well-groomed"

clean

adjective

1. Free from dirt, stain, or impurities:

antiseptic, cleanly, immaculate, spotless, stainless, unsoiled, unsullied.

2. Without imperfections or blemishes, as a line or contour:

perfect, regular.

3. Well done or executed:

adroit, deft, neat, skillful.

4. Free from evil and corruption:

angelic, angelical, innocent, lily-white, pure, sinless, unblemished, uncorrupted, undefiled, unstained, unsullied, untainted, virginal.

Idiom: pure as the driven snow.

5. Not lewd or obscene:

decent, modest, wholesome.

6. According to the rules:

fair, sporting, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly.

7. Slang. Free from guilt or blame:

blameless, faultless, guiltless, harmless, innocent, irreproachable, lily-white, unblamable.

Idiom: in the clear.

adverb

Informal. To the fullest extent:

absolutely, all, altogether, completely, dead, entirely, flat, fully, just, perfectly, quite, thoroughly, totally, utterly, well, wholly.

Informal: clear.

Idioms: in toto, through and through.

verb

1. To make or keep (an area) clean and orderly.Also used with up:

clear (up), neaten (up), police, spruce (up), straighten (up), tidy (up).

2. To make neat and trim; make presentable.Also used with up:

freshen (up), groom, neaten (up), slick up, spruce (up), tidy (up), trig (out), trim.

3. To make or become clear by the removal of impurities:

clarify, cleanse, purify, refine.

phrasal verb
clean out

1. To remove the contents of:

clear, empty (out), evacuate, vacate, void.

2. Slang. To reduce to financial insolvency:

bankrupt, break, bust, impoverish, pauperize, ruin.

phrasal verb
clean up

Slang. To make a large profit:

batten, profit.

Idiom: make a killing.

Translations

يُنَظِّفُ تَماما

ukliditvyčistit

gøre rent

gründlich reinigen

nettoyer rangement

takarít

hreinsun

forbire lustrare mettere in ordine nettàre pulire

gjøre reint rydde

iyice temizlemek

把...打扫干净

w>clean up

vt sep

(lit) → sauber machen; old building, old painting → reinigen; mess → aufräumen; to clean oneself up → sich sauber machen

(fig) the new mayor cleaned up the city → der neue Bürgermeister hat für Sauberkeit in der Stadt gesorgt; to clean up television → den Bildschirm (von Gewalt, Sex etc) säubern ? act N d

(lit) → aufräumen

(inf) → abkassieren (inf), → absahnen (inf); to clean up at the record stores/box office (CD/movie) → voll abräumen (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

clean

(kliːn) adjective

1. free from dirt, smoke etc. a clean window; a clean dress.

2. neat and tidy in one's habits. Cats are very clean animals.

3. unused. a clean sheet of paper.

4. free from evil or indecency. a clean life; keep your language clean!

5. neat and even. a clean cut.

adverb

completely. He got clean away.

verb

to (cause to) become free from dirt etc. Will you clean the windows?

ˈcleaner noun

ˈcleanly adverb

The knife cut cleanly through the cheese.

cleanly (ˈklenli) adjective

clean in personal habits.

ˈcleanliness (ˈklen-) noun

clean up

to clean (a place) thoroughly. She cleaned (the room) up after they went home.

a clean bill of health

a certificate saying that a person, the crew of ship etc is entirely healthy (especially after being ill). I've been off work but I've got a clean bill of health now.

a clean slate

a fresh start. After being in prison he started his new job with a clean slate.

come clean

to tell the truth about something, often about something about which one has previously lied.

make a clean sweep

to get rid of everything unnecessary or unwanted. The new manager made a clean sweep of all the lazy people in the department.

References in periodicals archive ?

Annual Clean up and Recycle SA Week will take place from 16 to 21 September.

Plastics industry commits to clean up and recycle

Every year tonnes of trash end up in the ocean, so on June 29, volunteers of Al Nab'a came in numbers to support the 'Beach Clean Up' drive organised at Azaiba area, by the Corporate Social Responsibility wing of Al Nab'a group.

AL NAB'A EMPLOYEES ENGAGE IN BEACH CLEAN-UP CAMPAIGN IN AZAIBA

This event is part of the year-round Clean Up Aberdeen campaign which encourages people not to litter in the first place, and also provides equipment for groups wanting to organise a litter pick.

Tally of clean-up reached 321 bags; ENVIRONMENT

The Anfield Alley Angels have been hailed as "champions of the community'" for their voluntary work, which sees them hit the streets to clean up rat carcasses, dog mess and litter dumps once a week.

Angels with dirty hands in bid to transform area; volunteers are cleaning up

The Anfield Alley angels have been hailed as "champions of the community'" for their voluntary work which once a week sees them hit the streets to clean up rat carcasses, dog mess and litter dumps.

Meet the 'Angels of Anfield' volunteering to clean up rubbish, dead rats and their neighbours' dog mess; The real life pied pipers are ridding the streets of rubbish and rodents

She said: "What a fantastic year it has been for the Team Up to Clean Up campaign.

It's in the bag... 3,100 of them; Clean-up teams fill thousands of sacks

| Children's artwork above the River Holme in Holmfirth have brought new colour to the waterway (above) , while volunteers (right) who have helped clean up the river show off some of the bags of rubbish they collected

River Holme to be revived; New project to improve the valley's waterway is launched

TWENTY four volunteers lent a hand to clean up the River Dee Black Cop.

Volunteers lend hand to clear up riverside on Dee

The Big Spring Clean Up is in its fourth year and involves litter picks, planting projects and community clean ups.

Residents asked to join clean-up

Abu Dhabi: Volunteers in the capital gathered on Friday afternoon to clean up a mangrove as part of the Landmark Mangrove Project, organised by community organisation Green Abu Dhabi.