clean bill of health

American  

noun

1. a certificate of health attesting the lack of a contagious disease, as on a ship.

2. an assurance, as by a doctor, that one is in good health.

3. Also clean bill an assurance, especially an official verdict by a committee, that a group or an individual has proved, under investigation, to be morally sound, fit for office, etc.

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clean bill of health Cultural  

1. To “get a clean bill of health” is to be told by some authoritative source, generally a doctor, that one is perfectly healthy. The phrase is sometimes used figuratively to indicate that a person or organization has been found free of any sort of irregularity: “After looking into her financial background, the Senate gave the nominee a clean bill of health.”

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clean bill of health Idioms  

1. A report confirming the absence of fault or guilt in a person or thing, as in Jeff checked every component and gave the computer a clean bill of health, or He had a foolproof alibi so the police had to give him a clean bill of health. This term comes from a 17th-century practice of requiring ships to produce a medical document (bill) attesting to the absence of infectious disease on board before landing.

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Etymology

Origin of clean bill of health

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

The European Union's election observer mission nonetheless gave the election a clean bill of health.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Unfortunately, if your network doesn’t get a clean bill of health, it’s a bigger challenge to find out what’s wrong.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Alfie went to the vets for a check-up and had some mats of fur removed but has been given a clean bill of health.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

But whether USC will have a clean bill of health by then remains to be seen.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2024

In consequence, lead was given a clean bill of health.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson