cleaning

[klee-ning]

noun

1. an act or instance of making clean.

   Give the house a good cleaning.

2. Slang.,  an overwhelming or complete defeat, financial loss, or failure.

   Our team took a cleaning in yesterday's game.

3. Informal.,  killing.

Other Word Forms

• self-cleaning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleaning¹

First recorded in 1655–75; clean + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The Hedgehog is a drying and cleaning beast.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The IMF chief said China should spend more on cleaning up its property sector and providing a backstop for households, and “much less” on subsidizing its factories.

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It turns out I wasn’t cleaning, I was conquering.

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Greetings, writing messages on cups, personalizing the hand off of orders, offering ceramic mugs and glass cups for people ordering drinks to stay, and cleaning the lobby and condiment bar were Starbucks’s top concerns.

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“Mission driven being: ‘We’re exposing bad actors, cleaning up the market, and adding transparency.’

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Related Words

• purification 
• sanitation 
• sterilization 
• washing