all clear
Americannoun
noun
-
a signal, usually a siren, indicating that some danger, such as an air raid, is over
-
an indication that obstacles are no longer present; permission to proceed
he received the all clear on the plan
Etymology
Origin of all clear
First recorded in 1915–20
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.
About 16,000 of roughly 50,000 evacuees are still waiting for the all clear.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
But it isn’t at all clear whether they would endorse one in a national vote, he added.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
To be clear, there hasn’t been an all clear sign in markets yet.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
Wylie does, recalling "the wail of sirens and then the release wail of the all clear and the smell of gas".
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
I was recovering, and willing to go; he was out of thangen; the instant that was all clear, he was off.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
