Showing Results for "clearing"

See Also:

• present participle of clear.

clearing

American  

[kleer-ing] / ˈklɪər ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that clears; the process of becoming clear.

2. a tract of land, as in a forest, that contains no trees or bushes.

3. the reciprocal exchange between banks of checks and drafts, and the settlement of the differences.

4. clearings, the total of claims settled at a clearinghouse.

---

clearing British  

/ ˈklɪərɪŋ /

noun

1. an area with few or no trees or shrubs in wooded or overgrown land

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unclearing
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of clearing

First recorded in 1350–1400, clearing is from the Middle English word clering. See clear, -ing ¹

Explanation

A clearing is an area that's open, with no trees, especially one in the middle of the woods or that's been cleared for planting. A clearing at the edge of the forest is a nice place to build a cabin. The noun clearing is a good way to describe an open place in the midst of dense growth, like a field or a glade in a forest. Some clearings are created deliberately for cultivating crops or building houses, while others come naturally from fires or droughts. This word first appeared in American English around 1818.

Related Words

• clearance
• expanse