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.

---

clearing British  

/ ˈklɪərɪŋ /

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unclearing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clearings
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clearing clearings

Senators voted 86-12 to begin consideration of the bipartisan measure, clearing its first procedural hurdle but leaving further debate and a final vote still to come.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Athletic directors are expected back from vacation and need to start clearing transfers and submitting paperwork to the Southern Section and City Section if they want players eligible next month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

He began shouting and gesturing toward Caballero, which led to the benches clearing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

These include hunting, widespread land clearing, bushfires, and disease.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

A gust of wind swept through the clearing, billowing his cape up around him like a writhing, living thing.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

But butterflies whose lifecycles are tied to specific habitats, such as woodland clearings or chalk grasslands, are struggling.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

He’s lost tools, scooters, and generators during at least eight city encampment 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

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 ground began to slope downwards very slightly now, and although the clearings were much wider, the foliage got more tangled, in some places there were nettles and clinging ivy, as high as their knees.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

Related Words

• clearance
• expanse