clean

[ kleen ]

/ klin /

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See synonyms for: clean / cleaned / cleaner / cleanest on Thesaurus.com

adjective, clean·er, clean·est.

free from dirt; unsoiled; unstained: She bathed and put on a clean dress.

free from foreign or extraneous matter: clean sand.

free from pollution; unadulterated; pure: clean air; clean water.

habitually free of dirt: Cats are considered clean animals.

characterized by a fresh, wholesome quality: the clean smell of pine.

free from all writing or marking: a clean sheet of paper.

having few or no corrections; easily readable: The publisher demanded clean proofs from the printer.

free from roughness or irregularity: He made a clean cut with a razor.

not ornate; gracefully spare; forceful and simple; trim; streamlined: a clean literary style; the clean lines of a ship.

complete; unqualified: a clean break with tradition.

morally pure; innocent; upright; honorable: to lead a clean life.

showing good sportsmanship; fair: a clean fighter.

inoffensive in language or content; without obscenity.

(of a document, record, etc.) bearing no marks of discreditable or unlawful conduct; listing no offenses: a clean driver's license.

Slang.

innocent of any crime.
not having a criminal record.
carrying or containing no evidence of unlawful activity or intent, as controlled substances, unlicensed weapons, or contraband: The agents searched the car for drugs, but it was clean.
not using narcotics.

(of a nuclear weapon) producing little or no radioactive fallout.

not radioactive.

(of a document or financial instrument) free from qualifications or restrictions: a clean bill of lading.

free from defects or flaws: a clean diamond.

free from encumbrances or obstructions.

neatly or evenly made or proportioned; shapely; trim: a clean profile.

made without any unanticipated difficulty or interference: The bank robbers made a clean getaway.

Chiefly Biblical. having no physical or moral blemish or carrying no taboo so as to make impure according to the laws, especially the dietary or ceremonial laws: a clean animal; clean persons.

dexterously performed; adroit: a clean serve in tennis.

(of a jump over an obstacle) made without touching the obstacle.

Slang. having no direct associations, business interests, etc., that could prejudice one's official acts or decisions: The new governor is clean because he's sold his construction business and doesn't owe political favors to anyone.

Slang. without money or funds.

(of wine) having a taste that is unusually refreshing and smooth.

Nautical. (of an anchorage, harbor, etc.) free of obstructions or hazards (opposed to foul).

(of the legs of a horse) free from injury or blemish, as capped hocks, splints, or scars.

Foreign Exchange. (of currency floats) not influenced by exchange-rate manipulation (opposed to dirty).

adverb, clean·er, clean·est.

in a clean manner; cleanly: Nobody wants to box with him because he doesn't fight clean.

so as to be clean: This shirt will never wash clean.

Informal. wholly; completely; quite: The sharp carving knife sliced clean through the roast.In a year, he had gone clean through his inheritance.

verb (used with object)

to make clean: Clean those dirty shoes.

to remove or consume the contents of; empty; clear: She sat down to dinner ravenous and within five minutes had cleaned her plate.

to dry-clean.

to remove the entrails and other inedible parts from (poultry, fish, etc.); dress.

Slang. to take away or win all or almost all the money or possessions of (often followed by out): The cards were marked and I got cleaned.

Metallurgy. to remove the seams from (a casting) by filing or grinding.

Philately. to delete intentionally the cancellation from (a postage or revenue stamp).

verb (used without object)

to perform or undergo a process of cleaning: This kind of fabric cleans easily.Detergents clean better than most soaps.

to get rid of dirt, soil, etc. (often followed by up): to spend the morning cleaning.

Verb Phrases

clean out,

to empty in order to straighten or clean.
to use up; exhaust: He had cleaned out his savings.
Informal. to drive out by force.
to empty or rid (a place) of occupants, contents, etc.: Eager customers cleaned out the store on the first day of the sale. The thief cleaned out the safe.
Slang. to cause to lose all or almost all one's money or possessions.

clean up,

to wash or tidy up.
to rid of undesirable persons or features: They cleaned up the local bars.
to put an end to; finish: to clean up yesterday's chores.
Informal. to make a large profit: They cleaned up in the stock market.

OTHER WORDS FOR clean

1 neat, immaculate.

7 legible.

11 unsullied, chaste, virtuous.

19 unblemished, flawless.

34 entirely, thoroughly.

35 scour, scrub, sweep, brush, wipe, mop, dust, wash, rinse, lave, deterge, purify, clear; decontaminate.

See synonyms for clean on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR clean

1 dirty.

17 contaminated, radioactive.

35 soil.

See antonyms for clean on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about clean

clean full, Nautical.

(of a sail or sails) filled with wind; rap full.
(of a sailing vessel) with all sails full of wind; rap full.

clean house, to wipe out corruption, inefficiency, etc., as in an organization: It's time for the city government to clean house.

clean up one's act. act (def. 29).

come clean, Slang. to tell the truth, especially to admit one's guilt.

eat clean, to reduce one’s consumption of processed and refined foods in favor of whole foods: Raising our children to eat clean has been easier than we expected.

Origin of clean

First recorded before 900; Middle English clene, Old English clǣne “pure, clear,” cognate with Old High German kleini (German klein “small”)

synonym study for clean

1. Clean, clear, pure refer to freedom from soiling, flaw, stain, or mixture. Clean refers especially to freedom from soiling: a clean shirt. Clear refers particularly to freedom from flaw or blemish: a clear pane of glass. Pure refers especially to freedom from mixture or stain: a pure metal; not diluted but pure and full strength. 35. Clean, cleanse refer to removing dirt or impurities. To clean is the general word with no implication of method or means: to clean windows, a kitchen, streets. Cleanse is especially used of thorough cleaning by chemical or other technical process; figuratively it applies to moral or spiritual purification: to cleanse parts of machinery; to cleanse one's soul of guilt.

OTHER WORDS FROM clean

cleanness, nounhalf-cleaned, adjectiveo·ver·clean, adjectiveo·ver·clean·ly, adverb

o·ver·clean·ness, nounpre·clean, verb (used with object)re·clean, verb (used with object)su·per·clean, adjectiveun·cleaned, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH clean

1. clean , cleanse2. cleanliness, cleanness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clean in a sentence

So we tried to think of the freshest, healthiest, brightest, cleanest restaurant we knew.
Finding Food Heaven on the Cali Coast|Jane & Michael Stern|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Murder was now at a record low and New York was not just the safest, but also the healthiest and cleanest big city in America.
Bill de Blasio Starts His Progressive Revolution|Michael Daly|January 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The cheapest and cleanest of all energy sources is hydropower.
Why Blow our Money on Wind Power?|David Frum|January 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The cleanest way to stop the carnage is to unify the Eurobond market—make all bonds the liabilities of all the member countries.
We’re Doomed!|Charles R. Morris|August 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST

I have fed and slept at inns, living on the worst of fares and sleeping on the hardest, and hardly the cleanest, of beds.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
You don't know kings, Jim, but I know them; and this old rip of ourn is one of the cleanest I've struck in history.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Bierce was the cleanest man, personally, of whom I have knowledge—almost fanatically so, if such a thing be possible.
The Letters of Ambrose Bierce|Ambrose Bierce
They furnish the cheapest and cleanest lodgings for the poor, yet pay a good dividend.
The College, the Market, and the Court|Caroline H. Dall
No, Sir, it's sadly neglected now; but when I was warden, it was the cleanest church in our parts.
The Sheepfold and the Common, Vol. II (of 2)|Timothy East

British Dictionary definitions for clean

clean

/ (kliːn) /

adjective

without dirt or other impurities; unsoiled

without anything in it or on ita clean page

recently washed; fresh

without extraneous or foreign materials

without defect, difficulties, or problemsa clean test flight

(of a nuclear weapon) producing little or no radioactive fallout or contamination
uncontaminatedCompare dirty (def. 11)

(of a wound, etc) having no pus or other sign of infection

pure; morally sound

without objectionable language or obscenitya clean joke

(of printer's proofs, etc) relatively free from errors; easily readableclean copy

thorough or completea clean break

dexterous or adroita clean throw

sport played fairly and without fouls

simple in designa ship's clean lines

aeronautics causing little turbulence; streamlined

(of an aircraft) having no projections, such as rockets, flaps, etc, into the airstream

honourable or respectable

habitually neat

(esp of a driving licence) showing or having no record of offences

slang

innocent; not guilty
not carrying illegal drugs, weapons, etc

nautical (of a vessel)

having its bottom clean
having a satisfactory bill of health

Old Testament

(of persons) free from ceremonial defilement
(of animals, birds, and fish) lawful to eat

New Testament morally and spiritually pure

clean sweep See sweep (def. 33)

verb

to make or become free of dirt, filth, etcthe stove cleans easily

(tr) to remove in making cleanto clean marks off the wall

(tr) to prepare (fish, poultry, etc) for cookingto clean a chicken

adverb

in a clean way; cleanly

not standard (intensifier)clean forgotten; clean dead

clean bowled cricket bowled by a ball that breaks the wicket without hitting the batsman or his bat

come clean informal to make a revelation or confession

noun

the act or an instance of cleaninghe gave his shoes a clean

Derived forms of clean

cleanable, adjectivecleanness, noun

Word Origin for clean

Old English clǣne; related to Old Frisian klēne small, neat, Old High German kleini

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with clean

clean

In addition to the idioms beginning with clean

clean as a whistle
clean bill of health
clean breast
clean hands, have
clean house
cleanliness is next to godliness
clean out
clean slate
clean someone's clock
clean sweep
clean up

also see:

come clean
have a clear (clean) conscience
keep one's nose clean
make a clean breast of
make a clean sweep
new broom sweeps clean
take to the cleaners
wipe the slate clean

clean

OTHER WORDS FOR clean

OPPOSITES FOR clean

Idioms about clean

Origin of clean

synonym study for clean

OTHER WORDS FROM clean

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH clean

Words related to clean

How to use clean in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clean

Derived forms of clean

Word Origin for clean

Other Idioms and Phrases with clean