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

For a lot of people, domestic care tasks like cooking and cleaning carry a certain moral weight.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

If infected rodents are confirmed on board, public-health officials might require a thorough decontamination—a process that, according to the CDC, involves wetting all surfaces with disinfectants before cleaning to avoid sending virus particles airborne.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

“Could a cruise member have been cleaning up an area and incidentally aerosolized some rodent droppings?” said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional physician chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

The Ghost supporting actress lost her Oscar in 2002 when she shipped it to the statue-maker RS Owens & Company in Chicago for a cleaning.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

At least I’m in a science classroom with a ton of cleaning supplies because it takes the rest of homeroom for me to wipe up the ink.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Related Words

• purification
• sanitation
• sterilization
• washing