The new governor is clean because he's sold his construction business and doesn't owe political favors to anyone.
- Slang. without money or funds.
- [of wine] having a taste that is unusually refreshing and smooth.
- Nautical. [of an anchorage, harbor, etc.] free of obstructions or hazards [opposed to foul].
- [of the legs of a horse] free from injury or blemish, as capped hocks, splints, or scars.
- Foreign Exchange. [of currency floats] not influenced by exchange-rate manipulation [opposed to dirty].
adverb,clean·er, clean·est.
- in a clean manner; cleanly: Nobody wants to box with him because he doesn't fight clean.
- so as to be clean: This shirt will never wash clean.
- Informal. wholly; completely; quite: The sharp carving knife sliced clean through the roast.In a year, he had gone clean through his inheritance.
verb [used with object]
- to make clean: Clean those dirty shoes.
- to remove or consume the contents of; empty; clear: She sat down to dinner ravenous and within five minutes had cleaned her plate.
- to dry-clean.
- to remove the entrails and other inedible parts from [poultry, fish, etc.]; dress.
- Slang. to take away or win all or almost all the money or possessions of [often followed by out]: The cards were marked and I got cleaned.
- Metallurgy. to remove the seams from [a casting] by filing or grinding.
- Philately. to delete intentionally the cancellation from [a postage or revenue stamp].
verb [used without object]
- to perform or undergo a process of cleaning: This kind of fabric cleans easily.Detergents clean better than most soaps.
- to get rid of dirt, soil, etc. [often followed by up]: to spend the morning cleaning.
Verb Phrases
- clean out,
- to empty in order to straighten or clean.
- to use up; exhaust: He had cleaned out his savings.
- Informal. to drive out by force.
- to empty or rid [a place] of occupants, contents, etc.: Eager customers cleaned out the store on the first day of the sale. The thief cleaned out the safe.
- Slang. to cause to lose all or almost all one's money or possessions.
- clean up,
- to wash or tidy up.
- to rid of undesirable persons or features: They cleaned up the local bars.
- to put an end to; finish: to clean up yesterday's chores.
- Informal. to make a large profit: They cleaned up in the stock market.
Idioms about clean
- clean full, Nautical.
- [of a sail or sails] filled with wind; rap full.
- [of a sailing vessel] with all sails full of wind; rap full.
- clean house, to wipe out corruption, inefficiency, etc., as in an organization: It's time for the city government to clean house.
- come clean, Slang. to tell the truth, especially to admit one's guilt.
- eat clean, to reduce one’s consumption of processed and refined foods in favor of whole foods: Raising our children to eat clean has been easier than we expected.
Origin of clean
1
First recorded before 900; Middle English clene, Old English clǣne “pure, clear,” cognate with Old High German kleini [German klein “small”]
synonym study For clean
- Clean, clear, pure refer to freedom from soiling, flaw, stain, or mixture. Clean refers especially to freedom from soiling: a clean shirt. Clear refers particularly to freedom from flaw or blemish: a clear pane of glass. Pure refers especially to freedom from mixture or stain: a pure metal; not diluted but pure and full strength. 35. Clean, cleanse refer to removing dirt or impurities. To clean is the general word with no implication of method or means: to clean windows, a kitchen, streets. Cleanse is especially used of thorough cleaning by chemical or other technical process; figuratively it applies to moral or spiritual purification: to cleanse parts of machinery; to cleanse one's soul of guilt.
Other words for clean
1 neat, immaculate 7 legible 11 unsullied, chaste, virtuous 19 unblemished, flawless 34 entirely, thoroughly 35 scour, scrub, sweep, brush, wipe, mop, dust, wash, rinse, lave, deterge, purify, clear; decontaminate
See synonyms for clean on Thesaurus.com
Opposites for clean
Other words from clean
- cleanness, noun
- half-cleaned, adjective
- o·ver·clean, adjective
- o·ver·clean·ly, adverb
- o·ver·clean·ness, noun
- pre·clean, verb [used with object]
- re·clean, verb [used with object]
- su·per·clean, adjective
- un·cleaned, adjective
Words that may be confused with clean
- 1. clean , cleanse
- 2. cleanliness, cleanness
Words Nearby clean
- claytonia
- CLC
- cld.
- -cle
- Clea
- clean
- cleanability
- clean and jerk
- clean as a whistle
- clean bill of health
- clean breast
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use clean in a sentence
- It takes me the better part of an hour to load the dishwasher, hand-wash piles of other dishes, clean the counters and cooktop, and tidy the floor.
- The player walks over to clean it up and walks away from Doyle.
- Marty Schottenheimer, one of the NFL’s winningest coaches, dies at 77“It is our duty and our responsibility to present a clean case file to the prosecutor,” Capt.
- He said that he’d isolate, then get a coronavirus test before coming into my home, showing up with a clean bill of health.
- After that, they say, it’s safe to rehang feeders — if you’re diligent about cleaning them.
- With Charlie Hebdo, “you really have a clean case here,” Shearer said.
- This is a guy who has his son-in-law clean his eyeglasses, for crying out loud.
- Millions of dollars in renovation later the building is gorgeous—clean, well-kept, organized.
- “clean as a whistle,” says a senior investigator involved in the case.
- clean-shaven and balding, Saleem is in his forties and walks with a limp.
- He shall give his mind to finish the glazing, and his watching to make clean the furnace.
- And I will turn my hand to thee, and I will clean purge away thy dross, and I will take away all thy tin.
- A groom is a chap, that a gentleman keeps to clean his 'osses, and be blown up, when things go wrong.
- The sun was palely shining upon dry, clean pavements and upon roads juicy with black mud.
- Who could have believed that only a fortnight ago these same figures were clean as new pins; smart and well-liking!
British Dictionary definitions for clean
adjective
- without dirt or other impurities; unsoiled
- without anything in it or on it: a clean page
- recently washed; fresh
- without extraneous or foreign materials
- without defect, difficulties, or problems: a clean test flight
- * [of a nuclear weapon] producing little or no radioactive fallout or contamination
- [of a wound, etc] having no pus or other sign of infection
- pure; morally sound
- without objectionable language or obscenity: a clean joke
- [of printer's proofs, etc] relatively free from errors; easily readable: clean copy
- thorough or complete: a clean break
- dexterous or adroit: a clean throw
- sport played fairly and without fouls
- simple in design: a ship's clean lines
- aeronautics causing little turbulence; streamlined
- [of an aircraft] having no projections, such as rockets, flaps, etc, into the airstream
- honourable or respectable
- habitually neat
- [esp of a driving licence] showing or having no record of offences
- slang
- innocent; not guilty
- not carrying illegal drugs, weapons, etc
- nautical [of a vessel]
- having its bottom clean
- having a satisfactory bill of health
- Old Testament
- [of persons] free from ceremonial defilement
- [of animals, birds, and fish] lawful to eat
- New Testament morally and spiritually pure
verb
- to make or become free of dirt, filth, etc: the stove cleans easily
- [tr] to remove in making clean: to clean marks off the wall
- [tr] to prepare [fish, poultry, etc] for cooking: to clean a chicken
adverb
- in a clean way; cleanly
- not standard [intensifier]: clean forgotten; clean dead
- clean bowled cricket bowled by a ball that breaks the wicket without hitting the batsman or his bat
- come clean informal to make a revelation or confession
noun
- the act or an instance of cleaning: he gave his shoes a clean
Origin of clean
1
Old English clǣne; related to Old Frisian klēne small, neat, Old High German kleini
- See also clean out, clean up
Derived forms of clean
- cleanable, adjective
- cleanness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with clean
In addition to the idioms beginning with clean
- clean as a whistle
- clean bill of health
- clean breast
- clean hands, have
- clean house
- cleanliness is next to godliness
- clean out
- clean slate
- clean someone's clock
- clean sweep
- clean up
also see:
- come clean
- have a clear [clean] conscience
- keep one's nose clean
- make a clean breast of
- make a clean sweep
- new broom sweeps clean
- take to the cleaners
- wipe the slate clean
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
What is the synonym of Clean?
clean [adjective as in not dirty; uncluttered] Strongest matches. blank bright clear elegant fresh graceful hygienic immaculate neat orderly pure simple spotless squeaky clean tidy unblemished washed.
What is the meaning of being Clean?
: free from dirt or pollution. changed to clean clothes. clean solar energy. b. : free from contamination or disease.
What is my definition of Clean?
free from any dirty marks, pollution, bacteria, etc.: a clean white shirt. clean air/water. Make sure your hands are clean before you have your dinner.
What happened to his daughter in Clean?
While our protagonist is a retired assassin and “boogeyman” of sorts, he certainly isn't a stuntman and he didn't retire to spend time with his family. In fact, as we come to learn, he used to have a daughter. Rather than die at the hands of a foe though, she dies as a result of his negligent drug use.