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

The authorities had not yet begun clearing roads, residents said, and no outside assistance had arrived.

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On either side, men bent at the waist, clearing fruit with one quick sweep of the knife and moving on to the next.

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Authorities had not yet begun clearing roads, residents told AFP, and no outside assistance had arrived.

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The reforms, approved by parliament late Thursday night, will create an independent environmental regulator and stricter rules for land clearing -- a leading cause of native animal extinctions.

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Authorities are therefore focusing on clearing debris to reach the isolated locations and provide assistance, he added.

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Related Words

• clearance 
• expanse