1 clean
/ˈkliːn/
adjective
cleaner;
cleanest
1 clean
/ˈkliːn/
adjective
cleaner;
cleanest
Britannica Dictionary definition of CLEAN
1
:
free from dirt, marks, etc.
:
not dirty
-
a clean floor
-
This table isn't clean. There's a sticky spot where something spilled.
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He keeps a very clean house.
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The janitor does a good job of keeping the office clean.
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clean laundry/socks/towels/sheets
-
I wiped the baby's face clean.
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2
:
tending to keep clean
-
He's a clean young man.
-
Cats are very clean animals.
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3
a
:
free from pollution or other dangerous substances
-
clean air/water
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b
:
not causing pollution
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Solar power provides clean energy.
-
a clean fuel
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4
a
:
not yet used
-
a clean [=blank, fresh] piece/sheet of paper
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b
of a document
:
not having any mistakes
-
We need a clean copy of the document.
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5
:
not infected
-
a clean wound
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6
:
pleasingly simple
-
I like the clean simplicity of the chair's design.
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She wore a formal wool suit with clean lines.
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7
:
having edges that are straight and smooth
-
a clean cut
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The vase was broken, but it was a clean break and easily repaired with a little glue.
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8
:
completely and quickly done
-
The bank robbers made a clean getaway.
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When he left home, he made a clean break with the past. [=he completely separated himself from everything that had been part of his life]
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9
sports
:
done in a skillful and impressive way without mistakes or awkwardness
-
a clean dive/catch/hit
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The gymnast made a clean landing.
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10
:
not showing evidence of any broken rules or laws
-
She has a clean driving record.
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— see also clean slate (below)
11
a
:
not connected with or involving anything illegal or morally wrong
-
a clean candidate
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They believe in hard work and clean living.
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The party was good, clean fun.
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b
:
not referring to anything sexual or offensive
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Only clean jokes, please. There are children here.
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clean language
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12
not used before a noun
:
no longer using drugs
:
not addicted to drugs
-
He's been clean for five years.
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clean and sober
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13
not used before a noun,
informal
:
not carrying any weapons, drugs, etc.
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All visitors to the prison are searched to make sure they're clean.
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I checked her; she's clean.
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clean as a whistle
— see 1whistle
clean slate
also British
clean sheet
1
:
a person's record (as from a school or a job) that shows no evidence of any problems, broken rules, etc.
:
a clean record
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Everyone who comes to this school starts with a clean slate.
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2
clean sheet
British
:
a game in which the opposing team is prevented from scoring
-
The team's star goalie has had five clean sheets [=(US) shutouts] this season. [=has prevented the other team from scoring in five games]
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clean sweep
1
:
a victory in which one side or team wins every game, contest, etc.
-
The Red Sox won the series in a clean sweep.
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The election was a clean sweep for local Democratic candidates.
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2
:
a complete change in something
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The new governor has made a clean sweep of the staff in the governor's mansion. [=the new governor completely replaced the former governor's staff]
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come clean
informal
:
to tell the truth about what happened
:
to stop hiding the truth
-
Eventually she came clean and helped the police recover the goods she'd stolen.
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He's finally come clean about his role in the scandal.
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give (someone or something) a clean bill of health
— see 1bill
keep your nose clean
— see 1nose
make a clean breast of
— see 1breast
wipe the slate clean
— see 1wipe
— cleanness
/ˈkliːnnəs/
noun
[noncount]
-
the cleanness of the image
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2 clean
/ˈkliːn/
verb
cleans;
cleaned;
cleaning
2 clean
/ˈkliːn/
verb
cleans;
cleaned;
cleaning
Britannica Dictionary definition of CLEAN
1
a
:
to make (something) clean
:
to remove dirt, marks, etc., from (something)
[+ object]
-
The carpet needs to be cleaned.
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clean your fingernails
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clean [=brush] your teeth
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clean [=wash] the windows
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[no object]
-
They divide household duties so that she cleans and her husband cooks.
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— see also clean up 1a (below)
b
[no object]
:
to become clean
-
The pan has a surface that cleans easily. [=that is easy to clean]
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2
[+ object]
:
to make (something, such as a room) neat and orderly
-
Clean your room.
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— see also clean out 1 (below), clean up 1b (below)
3
[+ object]
:
to remove the organs from the inside of (an animal) before cooking
-
They cleaned the fish and cooked them on the campfire.
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skin and clean a rabbit/deer
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clean house
— see 1house
clean out
[phrasal verb]
1
clean (something) out
or
clean out (something)
:
to remove unwanted things from (a room, closet, etc.)
-
We spent the weekend cleaning out the garage. [=clearing unwanted items from the garage]
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I need to clean out my purse.
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2
clean (someone or something) out
or
clean out (someone or something)
informal
:
to steal or take everything from (someone or something)
-
The thieves broke in and cleaned out the store.
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She fell for the scheme and was cleaned out. [=all her money was taken]
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3
clean (someone) out
or
clean out (someone)
informal
:
to use up all or most of someone's money
-
Buying the house really cleaned us out. Now we're broke.
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clean up
[phrasal verb]
1
clean (something) up
or
clean up (something)
a
:
to remove (dirt, spilled substances, etc.)
-
Would you mind cleaning up the spilled milk?
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It will only take a moment to clean this mess up.
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b
or
clean up
:
to make (a room or space) clean and orderly
-
Would you mind helping me clean up the kitchen after dinner?
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We stayed late to help them clean up.
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◊ To clean up after someone is to make a place clean after someone has made it dirty or messy. His mother is always cleaning up after him. You should learn to clean up after yourself. [+] more examples [-] hide examples [+] Example sentences [-] Hide examples
c
:
to remove pollution from (something)
-
The city has cleaned up the bay in recent years.
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— see also cleanup
2
clean up
or
clean (yourself) up
:
to make yourself clean
:
to wash your face and hands
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I'm sure you'll want to clean up after a full day of traveling.
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I just need a few minutes to clean myself up before dinner.
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The children are inside getting cleaned up.
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3
clean (something) up
or
clean up (something)
a
:
to remove whatever is illegal or immoral from (something)
-
The new mayor has really cleaned up city hall. [=has made the city government less corrupt]
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b
:
to make (something) clearer or more acceptable
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We were able to clean up the sound on the recording using special equipment.
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He's cleaned up his image since his early rock music days.
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4
clean (something) up
or
clean up (something)
informal
:
to eat all of (something)
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The teenagers cleaned up [=(more commonly) polished off] the pizza in a matter of minutes.
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5
informal
:
to make a large amount of money
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She really cleaned up last year in the stock market.
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6
clean up your act
informal
:
to behave in a way that is more acceptable
-
After years of drug abuse, she finally got treatment and cleaned up her act.
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clean your plate
:
to eat all the food on your plate
-
The children were not allowed to have dessert until they had cleaned their plates.
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Usage see: cleanse
3 clean
/ˈkliːn/
adverb
3 clean
/ˈkliːn/
adverb
Britannica Dictionary definition of CLEAN
informal
:
all the way
:
completely or entirely
-
Somehow, the top of the machine came clean off.
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The nail went clean through the wall.
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The fish were jumping clean out of the water.
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4 clean
/ˈkliːn/
noun
4 clean
/ˈkliːn/
noun
Britannica Dictionary definition of CLEAN
[singular]
informal
:
an act of removing dirt from something
-
She gave the tub a good clean. [=she cleaned the tub thoroughly]
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