clearing

[kleer-ing]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that clears; the process of becoming clear.

2. a tract of land, as in a forest, that contains no trees or bushes.

3. the reciprocal exchange between banks of checks and drafts, and the settlement of the differences.

4. clearings, the total of claims settled at a clearinghouse.

clearing

/ ˈklɪərɪŋ /

noun

1. an area with few or no trees or shrubs in wooded or overgrown land

Other Word Forms

• unclearing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clearing¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, clearing is from the Middle English word clering. See clear, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Any process of post-conflict reconstruction must begin by clearing the remnants of war.

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Residents are now engaged in the Herculean task of clearing mud from their homes, some with their bare hands.

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These costs will dissipate, clearing the way for stronger results in the years ahead, Dollar Tree said.

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The trucks arrive to a clearing in the brush, a stacked DIY sound system is set up like an altar, orange light streams through the branches in the trees shadowing the night sky.

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In heavy rain, Quentin Martinez followed a flooded path to a pool in a forest clearing and captured the metallic sheen of lesser tree frogs gathering to breed.

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Related Words

• clearance 
• expanse