cleanse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make clean.
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to remove by or as if by cleaning.
to cleanse sin from the soul.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to remove dirt, filth, etc, from
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to remove guilt from
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to remove a group of people from (an area) by means of ethnic cleansing
Related Words
See clean.
Other Word Forms
- cleansable adjective
- recleanse verb (used with object)
- uncleansable adjective
- uncleansed adjective
- well-cleansed adjective
Etymology
Origin of cleanse
before 900; Middle English clensen, Old English clǣnsian, equivalent to clǣne clean + -si- v. suffix + -an infinitive suffix
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.
After a warm and ice-cold shower, he cleanses his face and rubs a frozen cucumber over it, which he says will reduce puffiness, acne and brighten his skin.
From BBC
The treatment takes place on a heated marble table inside the hammam and begins with a thorough cleansing before moving into an invigorating exfoliating scrub.
From Salon
I tried to do a juice cleanse in college and by Day 2 I wanted to die.
From Los Angeles Times
Now, Ali performs "wudu" -- the Islamic cleansing ritual -- before every drive, in the hope of divine protection.
From Barron's
Once, they brought in a shaman to cleanse the house with sage and cedar during a full blood moon.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
