clean out
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
clean
(klēn)adj. clean·er, clean·est
1. Free from dirt, stain, or impurities; unsoiled: a clean kitchen floor; clean clothes.
2.
a. Free from foreign matter or pollution; unadulterated: clean air; clean drinking water.
b. Not infected: a clean wound.
3.
a. Producing relatively little pollution: a clean fuel; a cleaner, more efficient engine.
b. Producing relatively little radioactive fallout or contamination: a clean nuclear bomb.
4. Having no imperfections or blemishes; regular or even: a clean edge; a smooth, clean joint.
5.
a. Not ornate or intricate; spare: "the clean lines and exquisite proportions of early modernism" (Judith Thurman).
b. Sharply defined; clear-cut: a clean outline against the sky.
6. Free from clumsiness; deft; adroit: a clean throw.
7. Devoid of restrictions or encumbrances: a clean bill of health.
8. Thorough; complete: a clean getaway.
9. Having few alterations or corrections; legible: clean manuscript.
10. Blank: a clean page.
11.
a. Morally pure; virtuous: led a clean life.
b. Having no marks of discredit or offense: a clean voting record.
12. Fit for all readers, listeners, or audiences; not ribald or obscene: a clean joke.
13. Honest or fair: a clean fighter; a clean competition.
14. Slang
a. Not carrying concealed weapons or drugs.
b. Innocent of a suspected crime.
15. Informal
a. Free from narcotics addiction.
b. Showing no evidence of using banned or performance-enhancing substances: proven to be clean before the race.
adv. cleaner, cleanest
1. So as to be unsoiled: wash the dishes clean.
2. In a fair manner: played the game clean.
3. In a clean or nonpolluting manner: a fuel that burns clean.
4. Informal Entirely; wholly: clean forgot the appointment.
v. cleaned, clean·ing, cleans
v.tr.
1. To rid of dirt, rubbish, or impurities: clean a room; clean a suit.
2. To get rid of (impurities or dirt, for example); remove: cleaned up the trash; cleaned off the stains.
3. To prepare (fowl or other food) for cooking, as by removing the entrails or fat.
4. To remove the contents from; empty: cleaned my plate.
5. Sports To lift (a barbell) from the floor to the shoulders in one motion.
v.intr.
Phrasal Verbs: To undergo or perform an act of cleaning.
clean out
1. To rid of dirt, rubbish, or impurities.
2. To empty of contents or occupants.
3. Informal To drive or force out: cleaned out the incompetent workers.
4. Slang To deprive completely of money or material wealth: The robbery cleaned us out.
clean up
Idiom: 1. To make clean or orderly.
2. To make oneself clean, neat, or presentable.
3. To dispose of; settle: cleaned up the unpaid bills.
4. Slang To make a large profit, often in a short period of time: cleaned up during the bull market.
clean house Slang
To eliminate or discard what is undesirable: The scandal forced the company to clean house.
[Middle English clene, from Old English clǣne.]
clean′a·ble adj.
clean′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
clean out
vb (tr, adverb)
1. (foll by: of or from) to remove (something) (from or away from)
2. slang to leave (someone) with no money: gambling had cleaned him out.
3. informal to exhaust (stocks, goods, etc) completely
n
4. the removal of something from a place
5. US a place that provides access for cleaning something, esp a plumbing line
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Verb | 1. | clean out - empty completely; "We cleaned out all the drawers" empty - make void or empty of contents; "Empty the box"; "The alarm emptied the building" clinker - clear out the cinders and clinker from; "we clinkered the fire frequently" |
2. | clean out - force out; "The new boss cleaned out the lazy workers" give notice, give the axe, give the sack, sack, send away, can, force out, displace, fire, dismiss, terminate - terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position; "The boss fired his secretary today"; "The company terminated 25% of its workers" | |
3. | clean out - deprive completely of money or goods; "The robbers cleaned us out in a couple of hours" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
clean
adjective1. Free from dirt, stain, or impurities:
4. Free from evil and corruption:
angelic, angelical, innocent, lily-white, pure, sinless, unblemished, uncorrupted, undefiled, unstained, unsullied, untainted, virginal.
Idiom: pure as the driven snow.
6. According to the rules:
7. Slang. Free from guilt or blame:
Idiom: in the clear.
Informal. To the fullest extent:
absolutely, all, altogether, completely, dead, entirely, flat, fully, just, perfectly, quite, thoroughly, totally, utterly, well, wholly.
Informal: clear.
Idioms: in toto, through and through.
1. To make or keep (an area) clean and orderly.Also used with up:
2. To make neat and trim; make presentable.Also used with up:
clean out
phrasal verb
clean up
Slang. To make a large profit:
Idiom: make a killing.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
w>clean out
vt sep
(lit) → gründlich sauber machen; (with water also) → ausspülen; stables also → ausmisten; carburettor → reinigen; stomach → auspumpen or -räumen
(inf) (= to leave penniless) person → ausnehmen (wie eine Weihnachtsgans) (inf); (= to rob, burgle) bank, house, flat → ausräumen (inf); to clean out the bank (when gambling) → die Bank sprengen; to be cleaned out → abgebrannt sein (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007