clearance
Americannoun
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clearances
plural
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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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Etymology
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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.
See Examples For:
David Rush, 49, who held a top secret security clearance at the Central Intelligence Agency, is to be sentenced on January 28 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, the Justice Department said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
“We have powerful customs clearance agencies in these countries, and our customs clearance company will clear your parcel without any customs issues,” the company says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Jemal Abdela, 32, was sentenced after pleading guilty to the offence of endangering others during a sea crossing to the UK without valid entry clearance on July 25.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
To the contrary, it has always been the case that any bona fide journalist can get a hard pass, so long as they can get the security clearance from the White House.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
Her mother got clearance to home-school, something I knew a bit about.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
Sundararajan says the designation should bring faster clearances, emergency repair mechanisms and an Indian cable-repair capability, along with legally protected cable zones around landing sites and routes, restricting anchoring and trawling.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
American said both regional jets’ crews followed controller clearances and that the flights landed safely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
For the first two decades, the firm specialised in managing probate house clearances, cessation of business asset disposals and private chattels.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Ellison and his team now have won clearances from 66 antitrust regulators, including the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
It was taking months to process applications and security clearances.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
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.
