cleanse
Americanverb (used with object)
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cleanses,
present (3rd person singular)
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cleansed,
past participle, past
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cleansing
present participle
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to make clean.
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to remove by or as if by cleaning.
to cleanse sin from the soul.
verb (used without object)
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cleanses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cleansed,
past participle, past
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cleansing
present participle
verb
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to remove dirt, filth, etc, from
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to remove guilt from
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to remove a group of people from (an area) by means of ethnic cleansing
Synonym Usage
See clean.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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recleanseverb (used with object)
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cleansableadjective
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uncleansableadjective
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uncleansedadjective
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well-cleansedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cleansesimple
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cleansessimple
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have cleansedperfect
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has cleansedperfect
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am cleansingprogressive
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are cleansingprogressive
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is cleansingprogressive
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have been cleansingperfect progressive
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has been cleansingperfect progressive
Past
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cleansedsimple
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had cleansedperfect
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was cleansingprogressive
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were cleansingprogressive
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had been cleansingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cleanse
before 900; Middle English clensen, Old English clǣnsian, equivalent to clǣne clean + -si- v. suffix + -an infinitive suffix
Vocabulary lists containing cleanse
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:
This momentary cleanse won’t save them, but it will keep them going.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
The second wash in a double cleanse can be a way to scent the body and make the ritual feel more enjoyable, Gohara said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
But he backs attempts to declare the Indemnity Act unconstitutional "to cleanse us of that past".
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
For the psychic who does a spiritual cleanse on her, they were lucky to find one who agreed to have his face on camera.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
“Nansi wants you to help him cleanse this world,” Benefo says.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
When Tayshia Adams, a TV host and self-professed skincare junkie, double cleanses in the shower, she uses a vitamin C-based exfoliating wash then a hydrating cleanser.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
It was just out of earshot from Oz nodding along to musings on how “sleep is when the brain cleanses itself.”
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
However, parasite cleanses typically promise to purge the body of intestinal parasites such as tapeworms.
From Salon ● May 18, 2025
I explore “Why not both?’” since water cleanses us — not just physically but spiritually, emotionally and mentally.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
The more water we drink, the more we sweat, and sweating cleanses our bodies of impurities.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Maybe it’s because he was lucky enough to have his footprint cleansed a bit.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Will the doors of perception ever be cleansed?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
I reclined in the exam chair as Shalom parted my hair into sections and cleansed the area with an antiseptic liquid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
“That cleansed the space of a lot of weaker companies,” he says.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
“To atone for this crime, you will drink the water that cleansed us from our labors.”
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
He added that some of the money will also go towards fixing more potholes and further cleansing in the city centre.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The new site will be the company’s global center for skin care and cleansing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
They are also investigating whether trees have adapted to tolerate or even take advantage of this process, and whether the resulting atmospheric cleansing benefits forest ecosystems.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 21, 2026
Blankfein added that the long period without a financial crisis cleansing process meant ”you accumulate tinder on the floor of the forest and eventually a spark will come.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026
I like it out here, it’s cathartic, cleansing, like an ice bath.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
