clean up
Britishverb
-
to rid (something) of dirt, filth, or other impurities
-
to make (someone or something) orderly or presentable
-
(tr) to rid (a place) of undesirable people or conditions
the campaign against vice had cleaned up the city
-
informal (intr) to make a great profit
noun
-
-
the process of cleaning up or eliminating something
-
( as modifier )
a cleanup campaign
-
-
informal a great profit
-
Also, clean out . Make clean or orderly, as in She cleaned up the cellar after the flood , or Dad said he cleaned out the garage . [First half of 1800s]
-
Also, wash up . Wash or tidy oneself, as in Do I have time to clean up before dinner?
-
Settle or dispose of, as in He cleaned up all the bills that had arrived during his vacation .
-
Bring to a certain standard of order or morality, as in This script won't do; we'll have to clean up the language . Applied to personal behavior, it also is put as clean up one's act , as in He'll have to clean up his act and obey the rules . [c. 1900]
-
Succeed, especially financially, as in We had fantastic luck at the races and really cleaned up . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s]
-
Also, clean up on . Defeat or vanquish, kill, as in We're cleaning up all the other teams , or With enough ammunition we could clean up on this pocket of snipers . [ Slang ; mid-1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That was the point those volunteers made last October: Clean up the bridge and light up the bridge — as they did for three days — and fans will walk there.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
Clean up efforts are where the destruction companies could come in, and projects have been undertaken or are under way at various sites to assess the performance and cost effectiveness of many of their solutions.
From BBC • Aug. 18, 2025
Clean up efforts are likely to take time, and the government has said Otis had damaged 220,035 homes in Guerrero - a number just shy of the 223,924 homes registered in Acapulco in 2020.
From Reuters • Oct. 29, 2023
Clean up all your garbage and sweep up any crumbs.
From Washington Post • Jun. 22, 2022
Clean up the patient and sickroom to remove noxious odors.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
