neaten

American  

[neet-n] / ˈnit n /

verb (used with object)

1. to make neat.

   a day spent neatening the kitchen shelves.

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neaten British  

/ ˈniːtən /

verb

1. (tr) to make neat; tidy

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Etymology

Origin of neaten

First recorded in 1895–1900; neat ¹ + -en ¹

Explanation

To neaten is to tidy up or to clean. You can neaten your room by making your bed and throwing your dirty clothes in the laundry basket. When you turn disorder into order, you neaten. You might neaten your car by throwing away the accumulated soda cans and brushing crumbs off the seats, or neaten your outfit by straightening your tie and tucking in your shirt. Neaten comes from neat, "tidy or clean," from the Middle French net, "clear or pure." The root is the Latin nitere, "to shine."

Example Sentences

Few things neaten a naturalistic garden like fresh edging around beds.

From Washington Post • Mar. 8, 2023

The brief was to reduce the bulk at the sides and neaten the perimeter.

From The Guardian • Apr. 24, 2020

They fundamentally try to neaten things up and make it look more rational than it is.

From Salon • Oct. 6, 2012

Many of these trees, typically 100 years old or more according to Australia’s DEC, have been lost to logging or development, or to people trying to neaten up their properties.

From Scientific American • Mar. 13, 2012

Smoothing my wrap and running my fingers through my hair to neaten it, I took a deep breath and released it slowly.

From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis