clean out

British  

verb

1. to remove (something) (from or away from)

2. slang to leave (someone) with no money

   gambling had cleaned him out

3. informal to exhaust (stocks, goods, etc) completely

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clean out Idioms  

1. See clean up , def. 1.

2. Empty something of its contents, leave bare. For example, The crows cleaned out the whole field of corn , or At the shop's first sale the customers cleaned out the entire stock of shoes . [Mid-1800s]

3. Deprive of money or other material resources. This usage originated in gambling, where it signified losing one's last stake. Charles Dickens had it in Oliver Twist (1838): “He has cleaned me out, but I can go and earn some more.” [Early 1800s]

4. Drive out by force, as in The new CEO tried to get away with cleaning out all employees over the age of 60 . [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

By opening larger stores in affluent neighborhoods, Goodwill is well positioned for when wealthy donors clean out their closets.

From The Wall Street Journal

While cleaning out their late mother's California attic last Christmas, three brothers made a life-changing discovery under a pile of faded newspapers: one of the first Superman comics ever made.

From BBC

Some families use the sticker method when cleaning out the house after somebody dies.

From MarketWatch

The recipes in this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, by Emily Weinstein, are meant to help you clean out your fridge.

From New York Times

DWP crews are racing to clean out clogged culverts, divert excessive runoff into pasturelands and sage plains, and build berms to steer flood water from small towns straddling U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bankrupt
• crush
• decimate
• demolish
• deplete
• exhaust
• impoverish
• injure
• mar
• overwhelm
• raze
• shatter
• spoil
• wipe out
• wrack
• wreck