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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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clean (up)
Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Fetch Foster Rescue stepped in to take in pets from families who had nowhere to house them, focusing first on keeping the animals as relaxed and comfortable as possible while cleanup continued.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Either way, getting to the uranium will require heavy earth-moving equipment, says Cheryl Rofer, a retired Los Alamos National Laboratory chemist, who participated in nuclear material cleanups in Estonia and Kazakhstan.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
Volunteers have been working since the storm to reunite pets with their people — and to keep the animals as calm as possible while the storm cleanup continues.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Noun
Fetch Foster Rescue has taken in animals from households whose homes were completely destroyed, and the organization’s immediate focus is keeping those frightened pets as relaxed as possible while storm cleanup continues across the community.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Fetch Foster Rescue stepped in to take in pets from families who had nowhere to house them, focusing first on keeping the animals as relaxed and comfortable as possible while cleanup continued.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Either way, getting to the uranium will require heavy earth-moving equipment, says Cheryl Rofer, a retired Los Alamos National Laboratory chemist, who participated in nuclear material cleanups in Estonia and Kazakhstan.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
Volunteers have been working since the storm to reunite pets with their people — and to keep the animals as calm as possible while the storm cleanup continues.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clean (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clean (up)
Verb
-
Schomburg’s dedication to collecting represents an enduring tradition of resistance to the forces that censor, sanitize, and constrain stories about the past.—
Laura E. Helton,
Literary Hub,
20 Apr. 2026
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The suspension was rescinded after massive public backlash, with politicians from both sides of the aisle calling it a government attempt to censor free speech.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Long-term Management Strategies The best way to completely eradicate ground ivy from your lawn and garden is through constant monitoring and removal methods.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2026
-
An invasive worm species is causing problems in the state, and the Colorado Department of Agriculture is asking residents to help eradicate it.—
Maria Braganini,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Nearly a quarter-century after rap star Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot to death, a man admitted in court Monday to a role in a killing that stymied investigators for decades.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Bryant is the only defendant to admit his guilt in the rap icon’s decades-old killing.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The goal is not to avoid the valley but to shorten the stay.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While shortening attention spans may be to blame for the shift in literature, Huehls argues that some writers are intentionally engaging with it.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sad memories of last year — when Wooten lost a tiebreaker in her state championship singles match to hand Palmetto the title — are all but erased.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Nile Rodgers songs have a way of erasing distinctions between the two.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Islam bars charging interest, so banks find other ways to ensure people get a return, often by offering bondholders a share of profits or giving lenders an ownership stake.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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But dismantling polluting industries, trying to clean up our air and our water, and imagining a health care system not driven by profit would take coordinated, radical restructuring.—
Hannah Kerman,
STAT,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
-
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In April 2025, a motley crew gathered in New York City for a conference at Columbia University on abolishing the infinite.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Connecticut did not abolish enslaving people until 1848.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clean (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clean%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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