- present participle of clear.
clearing
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of clearing
First recorded in 1350–1400, clearing is from the Middle English word clering. See clear, -ing 1
Explanation
A clearing is an area that's open, with no trees, especially one in the middle of the woods or that's been cleared for planting. A clearing at the edge of the forest is a nice place to build a cabin. The noun clearing is a good way to describe an open place in the midst of dense growth, like a field or a glade in a forest. Some clearings are created deliberately for cultivating crops or building houses, while others come naturally from fires or droughts. This word first appeared in American English around 1818.
Vocabulary lists containing clearing
Of Mice and Men
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The Wild Robot
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King and the Dragonflies
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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:
These include hunting, widespread land clearing, bushfires, and disease.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
In interviews with the Insolvency Service, Wagh admitted using the funds to pay off personal credit card debts and loans, saying she thought that by clearing her personal debts, she would be helping her businesses.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The U.S. has been using and experimenting with sea drones in waters around the world to carry out a range of missions, including conducting maritime surveillance, clearing sea mines and simulating attack swarms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
The bill, which is sponsored by the district attorney’s office and advocacy group Social Compassion in Legislation, passed the Senate’s public safety committee after clearing the Assembly earlier this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
J.W. went to work clearing the vicinity of rabbits while me and Lloyd began to string our trotlines.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
G. lost his tent and a stash of his belongings during the federally mandated Aug. 15 clearings carried out by local D.C. police, but he was able to save one of his bikes.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2025
He also asked his crew to be on the lookout for clearings - free from trees and bushes - just in case one was needed.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025
As asylum seekers and organizers braced for the clearing, the appointed hour came and went with no police presence or trucks to haul garbage, as homeless encampment clearings usually have.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
Just beyond the southern shore there are old timber-company clearings which could someday be converted into trails that hikers can use to reach the adjacent Tahoe National Forest.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2024
The woodland of Belorussia was so thick that there was hardly any place to use as an airfield, so the 46th Guards had to take off and land in forest clearings.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
