in the clear
Idioms-
Free from danger or suspicion of wrongdoing, as in The evidence showed that the suspect was actually in the clear . [1920s]
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Having enough money to make a profit, as in When they added up the box-office returns, they found they were several thousand dollars in the clear . [ Slang ; 1920s]
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.
Khosla had seen Microsoft’s announcement last year that it was winding down its free nonprofit licenses beginning July 2025, but, per the record, he should have still been in the clear.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
Five months after the emergency all-hands, Cursor still isn’t in the clear; just 14% of employees using AI at work use the tool, according to UBS.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
Sturgeon and the party's former treasurer Colin Beattie were both arrested and questioned in 2023 and remained under investigation until March 2025, when they were informed they were in the clear.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
‘Yellowstone’ actor Q’orianka Kilcher is in the clear in her workers’ comp fraud case.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
I could see clearly in the clear spring waters, but I couldn’t see my dog anywhere.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
