clean out
Britishverb
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to remove (something) (from or away from)
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slang to leave (someone) with no money
gambling had cleaned him out
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informal to exhaust (stocks, goods, etc) completely
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See clean up , def. 1.
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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]
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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]
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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]
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.
The kind of ingredient you buy for one specific recipe and then keep rediscovering, whether through social media content or “I need to clean out the fridge” panic.
From Salon • May 5, 2026
To decrease the cost of moving, clean out as much stuff as possible beforehand.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026
Margins were compressed by Nike’s efforts to clean out old inventory and bring in new products.
From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025
By opening larger stores in affluent neighborhoods, Goodwill is well positioned for when wealthy donors clean out their closets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025
Irwin’s horses almost always won, and Irwin would clean out the locals, pack the horses back on the trains, and leave.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
