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CLEAN
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then jerked overhead
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("clean" is a kind of...):
weightlift; weightlifting (bodybuilding by exercise that involves lifting weights)
Meronyms (parts of "clean"):
jerk (raising a weight from shoulder height to above the head by straightening the arms)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Free of drugs
Example:
after a long dependency on heroin she has been clean for 4 years
Classified under:
Similar:
unaddicted (not addicted)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Free from clumsiness; precisely or deftly executed
Example:
the neat exactness of the surgeon's knife
Synonyms:
clean; neat
Classified under:
Similar:
adroit (quick or skillful or adept in action or thought)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Not carrying concealed weapons
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unarmed ((used of persons or the military) not having or using arms)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
Example:
cats are clean animals
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
washed; water-washed (clean by virtue of having been washed in water)
unsullied (spotlessly clean and fresh)
unsoiled; unspotted; unstained (without soil or spot or stain)
scrubbed (made clean by scrubbing)
pristine (immaculately clean and unused)
immaculate; speckless; spic; spic-and-span; spick; spick-and-span; spotless (completely neat and clean)
fresh; unused (not yet used or soiled)
dry-cleaned (cleaned with chemical solvents)
cleanly (habitually clean)
cleanable (capable of being cleaned)
Also:
tidy (marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits)
antiseptic (thoroughly clean and free of or destructive to disease-causing organisms)
Attribute:
cleanness (the state of being clean; without dirt or other impurities)
Antonym:
dirty (soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime)
Derivation:
cleanness (the state of being clean; without dirt or other impurities)
Sense 5
Meaning:
(of behavior or especially language) free from objectionable elements; fit for all observers
Example:
a clean joke
Synonyms:
clean; unobjectionable
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
antiseptic (devoid of objectionable language)
Also:
decent (conforming to conventions of sexual behavior)
Antonym:
dirty ((of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Not spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination
Example:
the tactical bomb is reasonably clean
Synonyms:
clean; uncontaminating
Classified under:
Adjectives
Antonym:
dirty (spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination)
Derivation:
cleanness (the state of being clean; without dirt or other impurities)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Ritually clean or pure
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
halal; cosher; kosher (conforming to dietary laws)
Also:
clean (free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits)
pure (free of extraneous elements of any kind)
Domain category:
faith; religion; religious belief (a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny)
Antonym:
unclean (having a physical or moral blemish so as to make impure according to dietary or ceremonial laws)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Thorough and without qualification
Example:
a clean break
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
complete (having every necessary or normal part or component or step)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Without difficulties or problems
Example:
a clean test flight
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
easy (posing no difficulty; requiring little effort)
Sense 10
Meaning:
Exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play
Example:
sportsmanlike conduct
Synonyms:
clean; sporting; sportsmanlike; sporty
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
fair; just (free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules)
Derivation:
cleanness (without moral defects)
Sense 11
Meaning:
(of a surface) not written or printed on
Example:
wide white margins
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
empty (holding or containing nothing)
Sense 12
Meaning:
(of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections
Example:
a clean manuscript
Synonyms:
clean; fair
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
legible ((of handwriting, print, etc.) capable of being read or deciphered)
Sense 13
Meaning:
Morally pure
Example:
led a clean life
Synonyms:
clean; clean-living
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
moral (concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles)
Derivation:
cleanness (without moral defects)
Sense 14
Meaning:
(of a record) having no marks of discredit or offense
Example:
a clean driver's license
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
perfect (being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish)
Sense 15
Meaning:
Free from impurities
Example:
fresh air
Synonyms:
clean; fresh
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
pure (free of extraneous elements of any kind)
Derivation:
cleanness (the state of being clean; without dirt or other impurities)
Sense 16
Meaning:
(of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims
Example:
a light lilting voice like a silver bell
Synonyms:
clean; clear; light; unclouded
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
pure (free of extraneous elements of any kind)
Sense 17
Meaning:
Free of restrictions or qualifications
Example:
a clear winner
Synonyms:
clean; clear
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unqualified (not limited or restricted)
Sense 18
Meaning:
Free from sepsis or infection
Example:
a clean (or uninfected) wound
Synonyms:
clean; uninfected
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
antiseptic (thoroughly clean and free of or destructive to disease-causing organisms)
Derivation:
cleanness (the state of being clean; without dirt or other impurities)
III. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they clean ... he / she / it cleans
Past simple: cleaned
Past participle: cleaned
-ing form: cleaning
Sense 1
Meaning:
Clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing
Example:
clean your fingernails before dinner
Synonyms:
clean; cleanse
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
groom; neaten (care for one's external appearance)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clean"):
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)
douche (direct a spray of water into a bodily cavity, for cleaning)
floss (use dental floss to clean)
decontaminate (rid of contamination)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Sentence example:
They clean themselves
Derivation:
cleaning (the act of making something clean)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits
Example:
Clean the turkey
Synonyms:
clean; pick
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 3
Meaning:
Remove shells or husks from
Example:
clean grain before milling it
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sentence example:
The chefs clean the vegetables
Sense 4
Meaning:
Remove unwanted substances from
Synonyms:
clean; scavenge
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Domain category:
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
cleaning (the act of making something clean)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Remove while making clean
Example:
Clean the spots off the rug
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Verb group:
clean; clean house; houseclean (clean and tidy up the house)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something PP
Sentence example:
They clean the snow from the path
Derivation:
cleaning (the act of making something clean)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from
Example:
The dentist cleaned my teeth
Synonyms:
clean; make clean
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Verb group:
clean; clean house; houseclean (clean and tidy up the house)
clean (be cleanable)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clean"):
launder; wash (cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water)
dry clean (clean with chemical agents)
scavenge (clean refuse from)
pipe-clay (whiten or clean with pipe-clay)
do the dishes; wash up (wash dishes)
sweep (clean by sweeping)
plume; preen (clean with one's bill)
steam; steam clean (clean by means of steaming)
bream (clean (a ship's bottom) with heat)
hygienise; hygienize; sanitise; sanitize (make sanitary by cleaning or sterilizing)
hoover; vacuum; vacuum-clean (clean with a vacuum cleaner)
dust (remove the dust from)
brush (clean with a brush)
disinfect (destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sentence example:
They clean the cape
Antonym:
dirty (make soiled, filthy, or dirty)
Derivation:
cleaner (a preparation used in cleaning something)
cleaner (someone whose occupation is cleaning)
cleaner (the operator of dry-cleaning establishment)
cleaning (the act of making something clean)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Clean and tidy up the house
Example:
She housecleans every week
Synonyms:
clean; clean house; houseclean
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
clean up; neaten; square away; straighten; straighten out; tidy; tidy up (put (things or places) in order)
Verb group:
clean (remove while making clean)
clean; make clean (make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clean"):
G.I.; GI (clean in preparation for inspection)
spring-clean (thoroughly clean the entire house, often done only once a year)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
cleaner (someone whose occupation is cleaning)
cleaning (the act of making something clean)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Remove all contents or possession from, or empty completely
Example:
The trees were cleaned of apples by the storm
Synonyms:
clean; strip
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody of something
Somebody ----s PP
Sense 9
Meaning:
Deprive wholly of money in a gambling game, robbery, etc.
Example:
The other players cleaned him completely
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
deprive; divest; strip (take away possessions from someone)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 10
Meaning:
Be cleanable
Example:
This stove cleans easily
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "clean" is one way to...):
be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))
Verb group:
clean; make clean (make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Derivation:
cleaning (the act of making something clean)
IV. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Completely; used as intensifiers
Example:
I'm plumb (or plum) tuckered out
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Domain usage:
argot; cant; jargon; lingo; patois; slang; vernacular (a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves))
Sense 2
Meaning:
In conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or cheating
Example:
they played fairly
Synonyms:
clean; fair; fairly
Classified under:
Context examples:
In the meantime the claim was cleaned up and firewood stocked in.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
“Any spacecraft that lands in regions of granular material on Titan is going to have a tough time staying clean. Think of putting a cat in a box of packing peanuts.”
('Electric Sands' Cover Titan, VOA News)
Now that we’ve everything cleaned up, we’ll have the funeral and get the decks cleared of useless lumber.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
She went away with the message, and, engrossed with our work, I clean forgot all about him.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
You can reduce the risk by practicing good hygiene, keeping pet areas clean and keeping your pets' shots up-to-date.
(Animal Diseases and Your Health, NIH)
During the first half of February, if you have plans to move, renovate, or do a thorough cleaning or repair project, you will do best to act on your project in early February.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
To reduce the risks, make sure that the facility is clean, safe and has a good reputation.
(Piercing and Tattoos, NIH)
Compulsions include washing your hands, counting, checking on things, or cleaning.
(Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, NIH: National Institute of Mental Health)
Use a separate cutting board and utensils for meats and clean them carefully with soap and hot water after use.
(Campylobacter Infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
A combination of a dentifrice (formulation intended to clean and/or polish the teeth, and which may contain certain additional agents), and a gel.
(Dentifrice Gel Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)
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