clearance
Americannoun
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the act of clearing.
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the distance between two objects; an amount of clear space.
The bridge allowed a clearance of 37 feet at mean high water.
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a formal authorization permitting access to classified information, documents, etc.
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Also called clearance sale. the disposal of merchandise at reduced prices to make room for new goods.
He bought the coat for half price at a clearance.
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a clear space; a clearing.
The house stood in a clearance among the trees.
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Banking. an exchange of checks and other commercial paper drawn on members of a clearinghouse, usually effected at a daily meeting of the members.
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Machinery. a space between two moving parts, left to avoid clashing or to permit relatively free motion.
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the angle between a face of a cutting tool, as a lathe tool, and the work.
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Nautical.
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the clearing of a ship at a port.
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Also called clearance papers. the official papers certifying this.
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Medicine/Medical. a test of the excretory function of the kidneys based on the volume of blood that is cleared of a specific substance per minute by renal excretion.
noun
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the process or an instance of clearing
slum clearance
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( as modifier )
a clearance order
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space between two parts in motion or in relative motion
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permission for an aircraft, ship, passengers, etc, to proceed
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official permission to have access to secret information, projects, areas, etc
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banking the exchange of commercial documents drawn on the members of a clearing house
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the disposal of merchandise at reduced prices
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( as modifier )
a clearance sale
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sport
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the act of hitting or kicking a ball out of the defensive area, as in football
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an instance of this
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the act of clearing an area of land of its inhabitants by mass eviction See Highland Clearances
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dentistry the extraction of all of a person's teeth
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a less common word for clearing
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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.
The report said documents published about the process suggested officials had taken a "dismissive view" about the need for Lord Mandelson to pass security clearance before taking up his post.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
Sir Olly Robbins, the FCDO's top civil servant, was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer earlier this year over Lord Mandelson's security clearance.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
Horvath said the county hopes to receive tens of millions of dollars in state funding for additional brush clearance, fuel modification, home hardening and other initiatives.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
“A rapid return to normal is unlikely given logistical constraints, including mine clearance, routing bottlenecks, and Iranian transit frictions,” economists at Societe Generale wrote in a note to clients.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
He solicited an emergency meeting in Washington with Warren Weaver, refusing to divulge the subject in advance but offering to arrange government clearance for Weaver if he desired a full discussion.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
