clean up

clean up
1) PHRASAL VERB If you clean up a mess or clean up a place where there is a mess, you make things tidy and free of dirt again.

[V P n (not pron)] Police in the city have been cleaning up the debris left by a day of violent confrontation...

[V P] Nina and Mary were in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. [Also V n P]

2) PHRASAL VERB To clean up something such as the environment or an industrial process means to make it free from substances or processes that cause pollution.

[V P n (not pron)] Under pressure from the public, many regional governments cleaned up their beaches. [Also V n P]

3) PHRASAL VERB If the police or authorities clean up a place or area of activity, they make it free from crime, corruption, and other unacceptable forms of behaviour.

[V n P] After years of neglect and decline the city was cleaning itself up...

[V P n (not pron)] Since then, the authorities have tried to clean up the sport.

4) PHRASAL VERB If you go and clean up, you make yourself clean and tidy, especially after doing something that has made you dirty.

[V P] Johnny, go inside and get cleaned up...

I cleaned myself up a bit, and got the baby ready.

5) PHRASAL VERB If someone cleans up, they make a large profit or get a lot of money. [INFORMAL]

[V P] It has cleaned up at the box office.


English dictionary. 2008.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • clean — clean …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • clean — [klēn] adj. [ME clene < OE clæne, clean, pure < IE * ĝ(e)lēi < base * ĝel , to gleam > OIr gel, gleaming, white, OHG kleini, gleaming, bright, fine (> Ger klein, small)] 1. a) free from dirt, contamination, impurities, etc.;… …   English World dictionary

  • clean — ► ADJECTIVE 1) free from dirt, pollutants, or harmful substances. 2) morally pure: clean living. 3) not obscene. 4) attentive to personal hygiene. 5) showing or having no record of offences or crimes: a clean driving licence. 6) played or done… …   English terms dictionary

  • Clean — (kl[=e]n), a. [Compar. {Cleaner} (kl[=e]n [ e]r); superl. {Cleanest}.] [OE. clene, AS. cl[=ae]ne; akin to OHG. chleini pure, neat, graceful, small, G. klein small, and perh. to W. glan clean, pure, bright; all perh. from a primitive, meaning… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Clean — may refer to: Music The Clean, an influential first wave punk band Clean (album), an industrial album by Deitiphobia Clean , a song by Depeche Mode from their 1990 album Violator Clean, an amplifier sound in guitar terminology Clean, an Edwin… …   Wikipedia

  • clean — adj Clean, cleanly are often confused. Clean is applied to a person or thing that is actually free from dirt; cleanly to a person or animal whose habit or tendency is to be clean; thus, one who is cleanly, though not always able to keep clean,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • clean — clean; clean·a·bil·i·ty; clean·a·ble; clean·li·ly; clean·li·ness; clean·ness; house·clean; re·clean; un·clean; un·clean·li·ness; bio·clean; un·clean·ly; un·clean·ness; …   English syllables

  • Clean — «Clean» Canción de Depeche Mode Álbum Violator Publicación 19 de marzo de 1990 Grabación …   Wikipedia Español

  • clean — [ klin ] adj. inv. • 1978; mot angl. « propre » ♦ Anglic. fam. 1 ♦ Qui a un air propre, soigné. Une allure, un look clean. Un intérieur clean. 2 ♦ Qui est sain, net moralement. Spécialt Qui ne prend pas de drogue. Être clean (opposé à speedé) . ● …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Clean — Семантика: функциональный Автор(ы) …   Википедия

  • clean-up — (v.), clean up (adj.),or cleanup (n.) (1) An informal phrase used by lenders to describe a provision in loan documents, usually the promissory notes used for lines of credit. The clean up provision requires that the loan balance outstanding under …   Financial and business terms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”