cleaning

American  

[klee-ning] / ˈkli nɪŋ /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• self-cleaning adjective

Etymology

Origin of cleaning

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

Example Sentences

Consumer packaged goods—from food to cleaning products—have been mostly overlooked thus far despite typically serving as a refuge during periods of market stress.

From The Wall Street Journal

I understood the appeal of mise en place long before I ever embraced cleaning as I cooked.

From Salon

The term derives from the white crystalline powder used in cleaning, soldering, glass making and in pesticides, which in centuries past was sold as a cure-all.

From The Wall Street Journal

He has called for cleaning up parks, clearing homeless encampments and painting over graffiti.

From The Wall Street Journal

If the contaminated food product came into contact with a fridge or countertops, the FDA recommends cleaning and disinfecting those areas and then washing hands with soap and warm water.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• purification
• sanitation
• sterilization
• washing