cleanse

[ klenz ]

/ klɛnz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cleanse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), cleansed, cleans·ing.

to make clean.

to remove by or as if by cleaning: to cleanse sin from the soul.

verb (used without object), cleansed, cleans·ing.

to become clean.

Nearby words

cleaning woman, cleanliness, cleanliness is next to godliness, cleanly, cleanout, cleanse, cleanser, cleansing tissue, cleanskin, cleanthes, cleanup

Origin of cleanse

before 900; Middle English clensen, Old English clǣnsian, equivalent to clǣne clean + -si- v. suffix + -an infinitive suffix

Related forms

cleans·a·ble, adjectivere·cleanse, verb (used with object), re·cleansed, re·cleans·ing.un·cleans·a·ble, adjectiveun·cleansed, adjective

well-cleansed, adjective

Can be confused

clean cleanse (see synonym study at clean)

Synonym study

1. See clean.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cleansing

Just this week, in fact, California went through a cleansing of sorts.
Careful What You Wish For: Here’s What California Would Look Like Without Illegal Immigrants|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was time for the cleansing part of the ceremony and Victoria and I, along with half of the crowd, lined up on facing benches.
Spirit Tripping With Colombian Shamans|Chris Allbritton|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For them, this is not demolition but reclamation, cleansing the sanctuary that has been profaned by liberals.
The Tea Party Isn’t a Political Movement, It’s a Religious One|Jack Schwartz|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Would the cleansing operation revive the image of the republic in the midst of fighting?
A Coffin Convoy to Russia|Anna Nemtsova|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So, cleansing and treating the tongue can help to bring other parts of the body into balance.
Oil Pulling: Miracle Cure or Oily Mess?|DailyBurn|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Four men, who were employed in cleansing a sewer, were so affected by the fœtid vapours, that they were unable to ascend.
The Book of Three Hundred Anecdotes|Various
HE narrative of the cleansing follows the story of the wedding-feast.
My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year|John Henry Jowett
"Perhaps he did," nodded Frank, cleansing his instruments with the utmost coolness.
Frank Merriwell's Backers|Burt L. Standish
At this camp I also witnessed the mode of cleansing their bodies.
Narrative of the Suffering and Defeat of the North-Western Army, Under General Winchester|William Atherton
When changing diapers, use oil and cotton and cleansing tissue.
If Your Baby Must Travel in Wartime|United States Department of Labor, Children's Bureau

British Dictionary definitions for cleansing

cleanse

/ (klɛnz) /

verb (tr)

to remove dirt, filth, etc, from

to remove guilt from

to remove a group of people from (an area) by means of ethnic cleansing

Derived Forms

cleansable, adjective

Word Origin for cleanse

Old English clǣnsian; related to Middle Low German klēnsen; see clean

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012