cleaning

American

[klee-ning] / ˈkli nɪŋ /

noun

an act or instance of making clean.

Give the house a good cleaning.
Slang. an overwhelming or complete defeat, financial loss, or failure.

Our team took a cleaning in yesterday's game.
Informal. killing.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

self-cleaning

adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

cleanings

plural

Etymology

Origin of cleaning

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

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.

See Examples For:

cleaning cleanings

The USC findings suggest that restoring this natural cleaning process could offer a different approach to preventing certain age-related illnesses.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

The maker of cleaning products and other household goods on Monday said it now expects full-year adjusted earnings per share at the lower end of its guidance range of $5.70 to $6.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Rubble from the demolition blast was strewn around the house, and other relatives could be seen cleaning up the spaces that were still habitable.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

His company does not charge a cleaning fee, and Marsh says most guests are respectful.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

They’re green—despite my best cleaning efforts—and they’re like catnip for him.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Decide what kind of coverage suits you: Some plans cover accidents and illnesses, while wellness coverage may help pay for routine care such as checkups, dental cleanings and vaccines.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

The toothbrush camera targets interdental cleaning, helping your teeth stay in pristine condition between dentist-office cleanings.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

While the researchers say it won’t replace traditional dental cleaning, it could be used along with such cleanings to keep gum-disease inflammation at bay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

In addition to toothpaste, researchers and the PerioTrap team have developed a gel used after professional dental cleanings to block harmful bacteria, support a healthy microbiome, and maintain gum health.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026

Instead of counting on a clean reaction, I'll do frequent "hydrogen cleanings" with a small flame.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023