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

I wanted it so people who are recording can clean out their vocals and sinuses before they sing.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Once the home was cleaned out and presented well, we moved to the full MLS listing — that’s where you maximize visibility and typically see stronger offers.”

From MarketWatch

Margins were compressed by Nike’s efforts to clean out old inventory and bring in new products.

From Barron's

But they said the company was moving beyond its major challenges, such as its aggressive efforts to clean out or sell off unwanted shoes, which the analysts said were largely complete.

From MarketWatch

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

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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