clear up
Britishverb
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(tr) to explain or solve (a mystery, misunderstanding, etc)
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to put (a place or thing that is disordered) in order
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(intr) (of the weather) to become brighter
noun
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Clarify, explain, solve, as in Let's try to clear up this misunderstanding . [Late 1600s]
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Become clear, as in After the storm, it cleared up very quickly . [Early 1600s]
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Return something to a normal condition, cure, as in This new salve will clear up your rash .
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.
Until those clear up, fixed income is simply not ready to follow the stock market’s euphoria.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Based on a Max Brand novel, “Trailin’” flips the script by starring Mix as a polo-playing, dress-shirt-wearing Easterner who comes out west to clear up a family matter.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Ultimately, someone also has to clear up rubbish dumped by the roadside at locations that can be difficult to access.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
For Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s chief financial officer, it was time to clear up the confusion.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
But he just a little baby! say Miss Eleanor Jane, like saying this is spose to clear up everything.
From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
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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.