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 author also contends that recessions don’t cleanse or restructure economies, the way wildfires clear forests of their dead wood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 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
Once, they brought in a shaman to cleanse the house with sage and cedar during a full blood moon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
The rest of us were left to find fountains to cleanse the grime and dust from our travels before entering the holy city.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
Devon Kelley, a content creator who has posted to #ShowerTok, double cleanses her body once or twice a week.
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
After a warm and ice-cold shower, he cleanses his face and rubs a frozen cucumber over it, which he says will reduce puffiness, acne and brighten his skin.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
Many cleanses also recommend eating certain foods or restricting one’s diet, which could also disrupt this system.
From Salon ● May 18, 2025
Something about it, though, cleanses everything that’s crowding my mind.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
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
The 2008 stock market crash and the pandemic-related crash in 2020 cleansed the market of at least some of its froth, making many hostile bids more inviting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
“That cleansed the space of a lot of weaker companies,” he says.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
If “Les Furies” had cleansed her heart of her rage, “The Swan” opened up space for grace to enter in again.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
“There’s going to be a cleansing between different funds, different assets,” said Alvarez-Demalde, who added that Riverwood is well-positioned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Outdoor swimming feels mentally and physically cleansing," Hickman, a keen swimmer herself, says.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 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
Inside, he first washed in a ritual cleansing called wuduu, required of worshipers.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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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.
