clear up

British  

verb

1. (tr) to explain or solve (a mystery, misunderstanding, etc)

2. to put (a place or thing that is disordered) in order

3. (intr) (of the weather) to become brighter

---

noun

1. the act or an instance of clearing up

clear up Idioms  

1. Clarify, explain, solve, as in Let's try to clear up this misunderstanding . [Late 1600s]

2. Become clear, as in After the storm, it cleared up very quickly . [Early 1600s]

3. Return something to a normal condition, cure, as in This new salve will clear up your rash .

---

Example Sentences

Dumping has been stopped at four of the sites, but none of them have yet been cleared up.

From BBC

"Local police and Spain's Civil Guard have begun investigating to try to clear up this lamentable event, in which everything points towards a robbery," read the post.

From Barron's

A call-out for volunteers has been issued on a community Facebook page to encourage residents to help clear up the chips, Bonnici said.

From BBC

On requesting the meeting, Lokke said he was hoping to "clear up certain misunderstandings."

From Barron's

Tuesday’s CPI data were less noisy than November’s, but the effects of the government shutdown haven’t totally cleared up.

From Barron's

Related Words

• clarify
• illustrate
• resolve
• solve
• straighten out
• unravel