clean up
Britishverb
-
to rid (something) of dirt, filth, or other impurities
-
to make (someone or something) orderly or presentable
-
(tr) to rid (a place) of undesirable people or conditions
the campaign against vice had cleaned up the city
-
informal (intr) to make a great profit
noun
-
-
the process of cleaning up or eliminating something
-
( as modifier )
a cleanup campaign
-
-
informal a great profit
-
Also, clean out . Make clean or orderly, as in She cleaned up the cellar after the flood , or Dad said he cleaned out the garage . [First half of 1800s]
-
Also, wash up . Wash or tidy oneself, as in Do I have time to clean up before dinner?
-
Settle or dispose of, as in He cleaned up all the bills that had arrived during his vacation .
-
Bring to a certain standard of order or morality, as in This script won't do; we'll have to clean up the language . Applied to personal behavior, it also is put as clean up one's act , as in He'll have to clean up his act and obey the rules . [c. 1900]
-
Succeed, especially financially, as in We had fantastic luck at the races and really cleaned up . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s]
-
Also, clean up on . Defeat or vanquish, kill, as in We're cleaning up all the other teams , or With enough ammunition we could clean up on this pocket of snipers . [ Slang ; 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.
“Proud of the way we finished, excited to be able to clean up a lot of things,” said McVay.
From Los Angeles Times
It also would double the amount of money insurers would have to pay for living expenses during a disaster while the homes of fire victims are being rebuilt or cleaned up.
From Los Angeles Times
He said it was immoral for the state’s leaders to allow people to live in such conditions, and pledged to clean up Skid Row within four years if he is elected governor in November.
From Los Angeles Times
He has spearheaded efforts to plant trees, clean up oceans, rivers and beaches, pay for strangers’ cataract surgeries and prosthetic limbs and has donated millions to charities such as Make-A-Wish and food banks.
But then, using technology to clean up messes made by earlier technologies is precisely what we’ve always done.
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.
