clean up
Britishverb
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to rid (something) of dirt, filth, or other impurities
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to make (someone or something) orderly or presentable
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(tr) to rid (a place) of undesirable people or conditions
the campaign against vice had cleaned up the city
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informal (intr) to make a great profit
noun
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the process of cleaning up or eliminating something
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( as modifier )
a cleanup campaign
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informal a great profit
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Also, clean out . Make clean or orderly, as in She cleaned up the cellar after the flood , or Dad said he cleaned out the garage . [First half of 1800s]
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Also, wash up . Wash or tidy oneself, as in Do I have time to clean up before dinner?
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Settle or dispose of, as in He cleaned up all the bills that had arrived during his vacation .
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Bring to a certain standard of order or morality, as in This script won't do; we'll have to clean up the language . Applied to personal behavior, it also is put as clean up one's act , as in He'll have to clean up his act and obey the rules . [c. 1900]
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Succeed, especially financially, as in We had fantastic luck at the races and really cleaned up . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s]
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Also, clean up on . Defeat or vanquish, kill, as in We're cleaning up all the other teams , or With enough ammunition we could clean up on this pocket of snipers . [ Slang ; mid-1800s]
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.
Ms. Bass blames the City Council for not doing more to clean up homelessness and improve quality-of-life issues.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
“Our goal was to earn another game after that, do everything we can to clean up our communication. We’re like micro-managing ‘how could we have done this better?’
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
However long this cycle lasts for Micron, management is being opportunistic and using the cash flow to clean up the company’s balance sheet.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Jo, who was visiting the beach with her young family, added: "If you're going to bring your lunch to the beach, you should clean up after yourselves."
From BBC • May 27, 2026
“I know it’s a complex topic, and I’ll be sure to go over painstaking details at a later time, after we clean up the mess you made, but right now...”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Definitions 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.
