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clean house

  1. Wipe out corruption or inefficiency, as in It's time the Republican Party cleaned house . This usage is most often applied to an organization. [ Slang ; c. 1900]

  2. Punish, give a beating, as in Whenever he was drunk he threatened to clean house on one and all . [ Slang ; c. 1900]



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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.

Mayor Ramírez wasn’t the first local politician to try to clean house.

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He coached briefly on his father’s staff in Minnesota, only for the Timberwolves to clean house soon after.

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Rhodes, fresh out of prison, told reporters he hoped that Patel “cleans house” at the FBI.

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Patel has advocated for closing the bureau's Washington, D.C. headquarters and cleaning house with widespread layoffs of the agency's leadership.

Read more on Salon

He claims he will clean house and that's what Trump has hired him for.

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