clear out
Britishverb
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informal (intr) to go away: often used imperatively
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(tr) to remove and sort the contents of (a room, container, etc)
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slang (tr) to leave (someone) with no money
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slang (tr) to exhaust (stocks, goods, etc) completely
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(tr) to get rid of (employees, players, etc, that are no longer required)
noun
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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.
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Depart suddenly or run away, as in We cleared out before our landlord could stop us . [Early 1800s]
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Drive or force out, as in The police cleared out the restaurant in no time . [Mid-1800s]
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.
Insoluble fiber — found in foods like whole wheat and wheat bran — helps clear out the gut, and is not digested.
From MarketWatch • May 10, 2026
“I was thinking we can clear out a closet at my place, and you could spend more time there.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
"And on the route, it encounters that instability zone around binaries, where three-body effects kick into place and gravitationally clear out the zone."
From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026
The results come as Nike looks to stoke a turnaround, including efforts to rebuild its wholesale channel, grow its running business, clear out old inventory and refocus on the performance sportswear it’s known for.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
There was nothing fine about being told by a twenty-seven-year-old guy who lived in his parents’ basement and had Cheetos stains on his T-shirt that you had to clear out in three weeks.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
