Showing results for "clearing"

• present participle of clear.

clearing

American  

[kleer-ing] / ˈklɪər ɪŋ /

noun

• clearings
  plural

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.

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clearing British  

/ ˈklɪərɪŋ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unclearing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clearings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of clearing

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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clearing clearings

Toxic smog is choking millions across Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, with authorities partly blaming the agricultural clearing method known as "slash and burn" for compounding the intense haze.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Istanbul municipal teams and firefighters were carrying out cleanup operations at schools, football pitches, garages and other sites on Thursday, pumping water out of flooded areas and clearing mud, an AFP photographer reported.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

The results also suggest that clearing amyloid thoroughly, particularly early in the disease, could help limit tau accumulation and slow the progression of brain damage.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Art of Play said it has contacted Clarkson privately in hopes of clearing up the dispute.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

Across the clearing, Fin-Kedinn and the old woman called Saeunn rose to their feet and started towards him.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Most of the Polish villages had disappeared from the map; sometimes the only signs they ever existed are the apple trees left behind in fields and forest clearings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

"We carried our own rice and slept on grass in clearings," he said in a 1998 interview.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025

All six have lost belongings and suffered exhaustion and physical ailments since their abrupt clearings.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 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

The rolling hills scattered with lava rock and the pine ridges between clearings were almost indistinguishable from one another.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko

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Related Words

• clearance
• expanse

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