clear out

British  

verb

1. informal (intr) to go away: often used imperatively

2. (tr) to remove and sort the contents of (a room, container, etc)

3. slang (tr) to leave (someone) with no money

4. slang (tr) to exhaust (stocks, goods, etc) completely

5. (tr) to get rid of (employees, players, etc, that are no longer required)

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noun

1. the act or an instance of clearing out

clear out Idioms  

1. Also, . Remove the contents, take something or someone away, as in I'll clear out this closet so you can use it , or Let me clear away these things , or Please clear off the table . The first phrase dates from the mid-1600s, the second from the mid-1700s, and the third from the early 1700s. Sometimes away and out are omitted, as in Let me clear these things , or Please clear the table . Also see clean up , def. 1.

2. Depart suddenly or run away, as in We cleared out before our landlord could stop us . [Early 1800s]

3. Drive or force out, as in The police cleared out the restaurant in no time . [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clear out

Canada has all but abandoned prescribed burning—deliberate, controlled fires that clear out the deadwood and undergrowth that turn ordinary fires into monsters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Boreal forests are also supposed to burn on an infrequent basis, in order to open up certain pine cones and spread their seeds, or to clear out lower tree branches.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

"Look at how it has caused people to scramble for groceries and clear out the shelves. Honestly, there hasn't even been much wind or rain these past two days."

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

Without frequent fire to clear out the understory of a forest, California woodlands have grown five to six times denser.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

As a result, for both planets, the rings clear out the radiation belts, which exist only interior and exterior to the particle rings.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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Related Words

• clean out
• dispose of
• get rid of

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