clearing

[kleer-ing]

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

/ ˈklɪərɪŋ /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• unclearing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clearing¹

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

Example Sentences

He walks up the trail to a small clearing, passing a sign saying “No Fires/Smoking.”

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While past reports have highlighted the dangers of deforestation, this study spotlights a more insidious threat: fire-driven degradation that erodes forest integrity without necessarily clearing it.

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He shared photographs from Maslova Pristan showing a sports centre with its roof and walls blown apart, and said rescue workers were clearing debris and assessing the damage.

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They meticulously vacuum, and scrub the walls, windows, baseboards and floors, clearing every open surface and precious possession of reminders of the Eaton fire.

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After, we sat in a clearing and ate peanut butter sandwiches and Tcho chocolate, bluejays trying to steal our food, our wet skin warming in the sun.

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Related Words

• clearance 
• expanse