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clean

The meaning of clean usually refers to removing something unwanted: you clean your hands by washing them, then you can clean some grapes.

This word has many meanings related to being pure or empty. You clean a chicken by plucking its feathers, or get cleaned out when you lose all your money at poker. If a drug addict is clean, he's no longer using. You can clean someone’s clock, clean up your act, or clean out a safe and make a clean getaway. If the floor is clean enough to eat off, it's very clean. A clean life is morally pure.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: clean

1
 adjv
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from
2
 adj
not spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination
3
 adjadv
without difficulties or problems
in conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or cheating
4
 adjadvn
thorough and without qualification
completely; used as intensifiers
a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then jerked overhead
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: clean
1

adj free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits

“children with clean shining faces”
“clean white shirts”
“clean dishes”
“a spotlessly clean house”
“cats are clean animals”
Synonyms
cleanable
capable of being cleaned
cleanly
habitually clean
dry-cleaned
cleaned with chemical solvents
fresh, unused
not yet used or soiled
immaculate, speckless, spic, spic-and-span, spick, spick-and-span, spotless
completely neat and clean
pristine
immaculately clean and unused
scrubbed
made clean by scrubbing
unsoiled, unspotted, unstained
without soil or spot or stain
unsullied
spotlessly clean and fresh
washed, water-washed
clean by virtue of having been washed in water
antiseptic
thoroughly clean and free of or destructive to disease-causing organisms
tidy
marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits
Antonyms:
dirty, soiled, unclean
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
Augean
extremely filthy from long neglect
bedraggled, draggled
limp and soiled as if dragged in the mud
befouled, fouled
made dirty or foul
begrimed, dingy, grimy, grubby, grungy, raunchy
thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
black, smutty
soiled with dirt or soot
buggy
infested with bugs
cobwebby
covered with cobwebs
dirty-faced
having a dirty face
feculent
foul with waste matter
filthy, foul, nasty
disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
flyblown, sordid, squalid
foul and run-down and repulsive
greasy, oily
smeared or soiled with grease or oil
lousy
infested with lice
maculate
spotted or blotched
mucky, muddy
dirty and messy; covered with mud or muck
ratty
dirty and infested with rats
scummy
covered with scum
smudgy
smeared with something that soils or stains; these words are often used in combination
snot-nosed, snotty
dirty with nasal discharge
sooty
covered with or as if with soot
travel-soiled, travel-stained
soiled from travel
uncleanly
habitually unclean
unswept
not having been swept
unwashed
not cleaned with or as if with soap and water
untidy
not neat and tidy
show more antonyms...

adj free from impurities

“clean water”
Synonyms:
fresh
pure
free of extraneous elements of any kind

adj free from sepsis or infection

“a clean (or uninfected) wound”
Synonyms:
uninfected
antiseptic
thoroughly clean and free of or destructive to disease-causing organisms

adj (of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections

“a clean manuscript”
Synonyms:
fair
legible
(of handwriting, print, etc.) capable of being read or deciphered

adj (of a surface) not written or printed on

“a clean page”
Synonyms:
blank, white
empty
holding or containing nothing

adj ritually clean or pure

Synonyms
halal
conforming to dietary laws
cosher, kosher
conforming to dietary laws
pure
free of extraneous elements of any kind
Antonyms:
impure, unclean
having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws
nonkosher, terefah, tref
not conforming to dietary laws
untouchable
( especially used in traditional Hindu belief of the lowest caste or castes) defiling
impure
combined with extraneous elements
show more antonyms...

adj (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims

“efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings”
Synonyms:
clear, light, unclouded
pure
free of extraneous elements of any kind

v make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from

“Clean the stove!”
“The dentist cleaned my teeth”
Synonyms:
make clean
clean house, houseclean
clean and tidy up the house
Antonyms:
begrime, bemire, colly, dirty, grime, soil
make soiled, filthy, or dirty
Types:
show 27 types...
hide 27 types...
disinfect
destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing
brush
clean with a brush
dust
remove the dust from
hoover, vacuum, vacuum-clean
clean with a vacuum cleaner
hygienise, hygienize, sanitise, sanitize
make sanitary by cleaning or sterilizing
bream
clean (a ship's bottom) with heat
steam, steam clean
clean by means of steaming
plume, preen
clean with one's bill
sweep
clean by sweeping
do the dishes, wash up
wash dishes
pipe-clay
whiten or clean with pipe-clay
scavenge
clean refuse from
dry clean
clean with chemical agents
launder, wash
cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water
sterilise, sterilize
make free from bacteria
antisepticize
disinfect with an antiseptic
chlorinate
disinfect with chlorine
water-wash
wash with water
wash out
wash free from unwanted substances, such as dirt
powerwash, pressure-wash
wash before painting to remove old paint and mildew
suds
wash in suds
rinse, rinse off
wash off soap or remaining dirt
cradle
wash in a cradle
stone-wash, stonewash
wash with stones to achieve a worn appearance
hand-wash, handwash
wash or launder by hand instead of with a machine
machine wash, machine-wash
wash by machine
acid-wash
wash with acid so as to achieve a bleached look
Type of:
alter, change, modify
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

v clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing

“clean up before you see your grandparents”
“clean your fingernails before dinner”
Synonyms:
cleanse
Types:
show 15 types...
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bathe
cleanse the entire body
wash
to cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking
lave, wash
cleanse (one's body) with soap and water
lather, soap
rub soap all over, usually with the purpose of cleaning
bath, bathe
clean one's body by immersion into water
douche
direct a spray of water into a bodily cavity, for cleaning
floss
use dental floss to clean
decontaminate
rid of contamination
shower
take a shower; wash one's body in the shower
foment
bathe with warm water or medicated lotions
sponge down
wash with a sponge
scrub, scrub up
wash thoroughly
gargle, rinse
rinse one's mouth and throat with mouthwash
shampoo
use shampoo on (hair)
hush
wash by removing particles
Type of:
groom, neaten
care for one's external appearance

v remove while making clean

“Clean the spots off the rug”
Synonyms
clean house, houseclean
clean and tidy up the house
Type of:
remove, take, take away, withdraw
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

v remove unwanted substances from

Synonyms:
scavenge
Type of:
remove, take, take away, withdraw
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

v remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits

“Clean the turkey”
Synonyms:
pick
Type of:
remove, take, take away, withdraw
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

v remove shells or husks from

“clean grain before milling it”
Type of:
remove, take, take away, withdraw
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

v remove all contents or possession from, or empty completely

“The boys cleaned the sandwich platters”
“The trees were cleaned of apples by the storm”
Synonyms:
strip
Type of:
remove, take, take away, withdraw
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

v deprive wholly of money in a gambling game, robbery, etc.

“The other players cleaned him completely”
Type of:
deprive, divest, strip
take away possessions from someone

v clean and tidy up the house

Synonyms:
clean house, houseclean
make clean
make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from
Types:
G.I., GI
clean in preparation for inspection
spring-clean
thoroughly clean the entire house, often done only once a year
Type of:
clean up, neaten, square away, straighten, straighten out, tidy, tidy up
put (things or places) in order

v be cleanable

“This stove cleans easily”
Synonyms
make clean
make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from
Type of:
be
have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
2

adj not spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination

“a clean fuel”
“the tactical bomb is reasonably clean”
Synonyms:
uncontaminating
Antonyms:
contaminating, dirty
spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination

adj free of drugs

“after a long dependency on heroin she has been clean for 4 years”
Synonyms
unaddicted
not addicted

adj not carrying concealed weapons

Synonyms
unarmed
(used of persons or the military) not having or using arms
3

adj without difficulties or problems

“a clean test flight”
Synonyms
easy
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort

adj free of restrictions or qualifications

“a clean bill of health”
Synonyms:
clear
unqualified
not limited or restricted

adj (of a record) having no marks of discredit or offense

“a clean voting record”
“a clean driver's license”
Synonyms
perfect
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish

adj (of behavior or especially language) free from objectionable elements; fit for all observers

“good clean fun”
“a clean joke”
Synonyms:
unobjectionable
antiseptic
devoid of objectionable language
decent
conforming to conventions of sexual behavior
Antonyms:
dirty
(of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency
bawdy, off-color, ribald
humorously vulgar
blasphemous, blue, profane
characterized by profanity or cursing
dirty-minded
having lewd thoughts
cruddy, filthy, foul, nasty, smutty
characterized by obscenity
foul-mouthed, foul-spoken
using foul or obscene language
lewd, obscene, raunchy, salacious
suggestive of or tending to moral looseness
scabrous
dealing with salacious or indecent material
scatological
dealing pruriently with excrement and excretory functions
indecent
offensive to good taste especially in sexual matters
show more antonyms...

adj morally pure

“led a clean life”
Synonyms:
clean-living
moral
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles

adj exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play

“a clean fight”
Synonyms:
sporting, sportsmanlike, sporty
fair, just
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

adv in conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or cheating

Synonyms:
fair, fairly
Antonyms:
below the belt, unfairly
in an unfair manner
4

adj thorough and without qualification

“a clean getaway”
“a clean sweep”
“a clean break”
Synonyms
complete
having every necessary or normal part or component or step

adj free from clumsiness; precisely or deftly executed

“he landed a clean left on his opponent's cheek”
“a clean throw”
Synonyms:
neat
adroit
quick or skillful or adept in action or thought

adv completely; used as intensifiers

“clean forgot the appointment”
Synonyms:
plum, plumb

n a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then jerked overhead

Synonyms:
clean and jerk
Type of:
weightlift, weightlifting
bodybuilding by exercise that involves lifting weights
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