cleaning

[klee-ning]

noun

1. an act or instance of making clean.

   Give the house a good cleaning.

2. Slang.,  an overwhelming or complete defeat, financial loss, or failure.

   Our team took a cleaning in yesterday's game.

3. Informal.,  killing.

Other Word Forms

• self-cleaning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleaning¹

First recorded in 1655–75; clean + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

In July, after Maxwell was interviewed about Epstein by the Justice Department’s Blanche, inmates in the Bryan prison camp’s Madison unit were told to do a deep cleaning of the whole dormitory.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The women are accused of making fake profiles on a cleaning service app, which allowed them to gain access to the homes, police said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Sanskrity Baraili, sabbatical officer at the students' union in Bradford, says she has already seen the impact of cuts on students, especially in support services such as cleaning teams and disability services.

Read more on BBC

Cordon, who declined to name her insurer, raised about $5,000 through GoFundMe and received community donations of necessities like clothing, food and cleaning supplies.

Read more on MarketWatch

The Hedgehog is a drying and cleaning beast.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• purification 
• sanitation 
• sterilization 
• washing