clearing

American  

[kleer-ing] / ˈklɪər ɪŋ /

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.

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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

• unclearing adjective

Etymology

Origin of clearing

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

Example Sentences

But he just gave his throat a loud clearing.

From Literature

There were at least 11 planes in the closed airspace when Starship exploded, and flight tracking data shows they hurried to move out of the way, clearing the area within 15 minutes.

From Salon

The seed of a breakthrough might sprout if employees warm up their brains with some busywork, like clearing inboxes or organizing calendars.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last year, the focus was on survival — finding temporary places to live, clearing lots, deciding whether to stay or go — while holding government officials accountable.

From Los Angeles Times

But the research, published in the Nature Plants journal, excluded areas affected by fires or clearing, and also examined the stand basal area -- the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all trees in an area.

From Barron's

Related Words

• clearance
• expanse