Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

clean

Did you mean: clean, The Clean (Rock Band, '80s-2000s), Clean (2004 Drama Film), CLEAN (abbreviation), Clean (programming language), Clean (album), CLEAN (algorithm) More...

 
Dictionary: clean   (klēn) pronunciation
 
adj., clean·er, clean·est.
  1. Free from dirt, stain, or impurities; unsoiled.
    1. Free from foreign matter or pollution; unadulterated: clean air; clean drinking water.
    2. Not infected: a clean wound.
    1. Producing relatively little pollution: a clean fuel; a cleaner, more efficient engine.
    2. Producing relatively little radioactive fallout or contamination: a clean nuclear bomb.
  2. Having no imperfections or blemishes; regular or even: a clean edge; a smooth, clean joint.
    1. Not ornate or intricate; spare: “the clean lines and exquisite proportions of early modernism” (Judith Thurman).
    2. Sharply defined; clear-cut: a clean outline against the sky.
  3. Free from clumsiness; deft; adroit: a clean throw.
  4. Devoid of restrictions or encumbrances: a clean bill of health.
  5. Thorough; complete: a clean getaway.
  6. Having few alterations or corrections; legible: clean manuscript.
  7. Blank: a clean page.
    1. Morally pure; virtuous: led a clean life.
    2. Having no marks of discredit or offense: a clean voting record.
  8. Fit for all readers, listeners, or audiences; not ribald or obscene: a clean joke.
  9. Honest or fair: a clean fighter; a clean competition.
  10. Slang.
    1. Not carrying concealed weapons or drugs.
    2. Innocent of a suspected crime.
  11. Informal.
    1. Free from narcotics addiction.
    2. 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.

To undergo or perform an act of cleaning.

phrasal verbs:

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
  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.

idiom:

clean house Slang.

  1. To eliminate or discard what is undesirable: The scandal forced the company to clean house.

[Middle English clene, from Old English clǣne.]

cleanable clean'a·ble adj.
cleanness clean'ness n.

SYNONYMS  clean, antiseptic, cleanly, immaculate, spotless. These adjectives mean free from dirt: clean clothing; antiseptic surgical instruments; a cleanly pet; an immaculate tablecloth; a spotless kitchen.
ANTONYM  dirty


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a word or phrase...
All Community Q&A Reference topics
 

Finance: free of debt, as in a clean balance sheet. In banking, corporate borrowers have traditionally been required to clean up for at least 30 days each year to prove their borrowings were seasonal and not required as permanent working capital.

International trade: without documents, as in clean vs. Documentary drafts.

Securities: block trade that matches buy or sell orders, sparing the block positioner any inventory risk. If the transaction appears on the exchange tape, it is said to be clean on the tape. Sometimes such a trade is called a natural: "We did a natural for 80,000 XYZ common."

 
Thesaurus: clean
Top
also clean up

adjective

  1. Free from dirt, stain, or impurities: antiseptic, cleanly, immaculate, spotless, stainless, unsoiled, unsullied. See clean/dirty.
  2. Without imperfections or blemishes, as a line or contour: perfect, regular. See beautiful/ugly.
  3. Well done or executed: adroit, deft, neat, skillful. See ability/inability, good/bad.
  4. Free from evil and corruption: angelic, angelical, innocent, lily-white, pure, sinless, unblemished, uncorrupted, undefiled, unstained, unsullied, untainted, virginal. Idioms: pure as the driven snow. See clean/dirty, right/wrong, sex/asexual.
  5. Not lewd or obscene: decent, modest, wholesome. See decent/indecent.
  6. According to the rules: fair, sporting, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly. See fair/unfair.
  7. Free from guilt or blame: blameless, faultless, guiltless, harmless, innocent, irreproachable, lily-white, unblamable. Idioms: in the clear. See right/wrong.

adverb

    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,, big/small/amount, limited/unlimited.

verb

  1. To make or keep (an area) clean and orderly. clear (up), neaten (up), police, spruce (up), straighten (up), tidy (up). See order/disorder.
  2. To make neat and trim; make presentable. freshen (up), groom, neaten (up), slick up, spruce (up), tidy (up), trig (out), trim. See order/disorder.
  3. To make or become clear by the removal of impurities: clarify, cleanse, purify, refine. See clean/dirty.

phrasal verb - clean out

  1. To remove the contents of: clear, empty (out), evacuate, vacate, void. See full/empty/capacity.
  2. To reduce to financial insolvency: bankrupt, break, bust, impoverish, pauperize, ruin. See money.

phrasal verb - clean up

    To make a large profit: batten, profit. Idioms: make a killing. See money.

 
Antonyms: clean
Top

adj

Definition: chaste, virtuous
Antonyms: besmirched, defiled, impure, unchaste, unvirtuous

adj

Definition: complete, thorough
Antonyms: incomplete

adj

Definition: not dirty; uncluttered
Antonyms: cluttered, dirty, filthy, foul, polluted, stained, tarnished

adj

Definition: precise, sharp
Antonyms: imprecise, indefinite, muddled

adj

Definition: sterile
Antonyms: adulterated, dirty, impure, unsterile

v

Definition: make undirty, uncluttered
Antonyms: adulterate, defile, dirty, foul, soil, stain


 
Hacker Slang: clean
Top

1. adj. Used of hardware or software designs, implies ‘elegance in the small’, that is, a design or implementation that may not hold any surprises but does things in a way that is reasonably intuitive and relatively easy to comprehend from the outside. The antonym is ‘grungy’ or crufty.

2. v. To remove unneeded or undesired files in a effort to reduce clutter: “I'm cleaning up my account.” “I cleaned up the garbage and now have 100 Meg free on that partition.


 
Veterinary Dictionary: cleaning
Top

1. a major part of sanitation procedures in veterinary preventive medicine because of the heavy contamination of animal accommodation by feces and urine, and in abattoirs because of the rapid accumulation of fat. High pressure cleaning with hot water and detergents is the only practicable procedure but brings its own attendant problems of disposal of effluent.
2. colloquial term for placenta of mare or cow.

 
Word Tutor: clean
Top
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Without dirt or impure matter. Also: Without evil or wrongdoing.

pronunciation Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).

 
Translations: Clean
Top

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - ren, uplettet, renlig, fuldstændig, veludført, renskrevet, pengeløs
adv. - fuldstændig, rent, helt
v. tr. - rense, vaske af, gøre rent, blanke af
v. intr. - blive ren
n. - rengøring, omgang

idioms:

  • a clean bill of health    rent sundhedspas, karantænebevis, fuldstændig frikendelse
  • a clean slate    ren straffeattest
  • a clean sweep    rent bord
  • clean animal    renligt dyr
  • clean as a whistle    fuldstændig ren
  • clean out    udrense, tømme, blanke af
  • clean up    tømme, rydde op i, klæde sig om
  • clean up one's act    forbedre sin opførsel
  • come clean    gøre rent bord, tilstå alt
  • make a clean breast of    gøre rent bord, tilstå alt

Nederlands (Dutch)
schoon, rein, zindelijk, niet obsceen, afgekickt (van drugs), onschuldig, fris, sportief, welgevormd, kundig, volledig, schoonmaakbeurt, schoonmaken, zuiveren, je bord leegeten

Français (French)
adj. - pure, propre, anodin, sans tache (réputation), désintoxiqué, désarmé (argot des policiers), (Sport) sans débordement, sans faute, fair-play, précis, sans toucher l'obstacle (saut), net (bord), pur (profil, lignes), (Méd) fracture simple
adv. - littéralement
v. tr. - nettoyer qch, enlever qch de, se brosser (les dents), (Culin) vider (un poisson), laver (des légumes)
v. intr. - faire le ménage, se nettoyer
n. - coup de chiffon, nettoyage, faire sa toilette (animal)

idioms:

  • a clean bill of health    trouver qch/qn en parfaite santé
  • a clean sweep    (gagner) qch haut la main
  • clean animal    animal propre, animal pur
  • clean as a whistle    propre comme un sou neuf
  • clean out    nettoyer à fond, mettre (qch) à sac, mettre (qn) à sec, délester (qn) de (bijoux, argent)
  • clean slate    à zéro, table rase, (faire) table rase du passé, (ne pas avoir) de dettes, (avoir) un casier judiciaire vierge
  • clean someone out    mettre (qn) à sec, délester (qn) de (bijoux, argent)
  • clean up    mettre en ordre, tout nettoyer, se débarbouiller, faire son beurre, rafler la mise, faire la toilette de (malade), nettoyer, (fig) nettoyer, expurger (un programme TV)
  • clean up one's act    devenir plus sérieux
  • come clean    (fig) se mettre à table, avouer, révéler, tout dire
  • make a clean breast of    soulager sa conscience

Deutsch (German)
v. - saubermachen, putzen, reinigen
adj. - sauber, rein, glatt, gesund
n. - Putzen
adv. - glatt, einfach, sauber, gewandt

idioms:

  • a clean bill of health    einwandfreies Zeugnis
  • a clean sweep    gründliches Auf-/Abräumen
  • clean animal    reines Tier
  • clean as a whistle    blitzsauber, absolut frei
  • clean out    ausräumen, ausmisten, rupfen
  • clean slate    weiße Weste, neuer Anfang
  • clean someone out    ausrauben, rupfen
  • clean up    aufräumen, sich waschen, (ugs.) absahnen, ausheben, säubern
  • clean up one's act    sich besser benehmen
  • come clean    (ugs.) mit der Wahrheit herausrücken
  • make a clean breast of    offen bekennen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - καθαρίζω, παστρεύω, ξετινάζω, ξεπουπουλίζω
adj. - καθαρός, παστρικός, αγνός, ανόθευτος, λευκός, άγραφος, καθαρογραμμένος, έντιμος, τίμιος, ευθύς, δίκαιος, ανεμπόδιστος (σε θέα κ.λπ.), ίσιος, ίσιας γραμμής, άψογος, αγνός, αμόλυντος
n. - (καθομ.) καθαρισμός, καθάρισμα

idioms:

  • a clean bill of health    καθαρό ή ανεπιβάρυντο πιστοποιητικό υγείας
  • a clean slate    λευκό μητρώο, καθαρό παρελθόν
  • a clean sweep    πλήρης απαλλαγή, ξεφόρτωμα, σαρωτική νίκη, απόσπαση όλων των βραβείων
  • clean animal    ζώο μαθημένο να μη λερώνει (στο σπίτι)
  • clean as a whistle    πεντακάθαρος, αστραφτερός
  • clean out    (ξε)καθαρίζω, ξετινάζω, ξεπαραδιάζω
  • clean up    καθαρίζω/-ομαι, τακτοποιώ, συγυρίζω, τα 'κονομάω, αποτελειώνω, ξεκαθαρίζω
  • clean up one's act    (καθομ.) ανθρωπεύω, συμμαζεύομαι
  • come clean    ομολογώ την ενοχή μου
  • make a clean breast of    εξομολογούμαι, εκμυστηρεύομαι

Italiano (Italian)
pulire, epurare, puro, pulito

idioms:

  • a clean sweep    piazza pulita
  • clean animal    animale puro
  • clean as a whistle    pulitissimo
  • clean out    ripulire, svaligiare
  • clean up    rimettere in ordine
  • clean up an act    mettersi ad agire correttamente
  • come clean    confessare tutto
  • sweep clean    ripulire

Português (Portuguese)
v. - limpar, desobstruir, esvaziar
adj. - limpo, íntegro, desimpedido, hábil, sem dinheiro, em branco

idioms:

  • a clean sweep    eliminar por completo
  • clean animal    animal limpo
  • clean out    tirar todo o dinheiro de alguém
  • clean the air    limpar o ar
  • clean up    limpar e arrumar tudo
  • clean up one's act    agir individualmente
  • come clean    confessar
  • sweep clean    eliminação (f) completa

Русский (Russian)
чистить, чистый, без денег

idioms:

  • a clean sweep    подчистую, без исключения
  • clean animal    чистое животное
  • clean as a whistle    чистый как стеклышко
  • clean out    вычистить, обобрать
  • clean up    сделать уборку, умыться, сорвать куш
  • clean up one's act    привести свою деятельность в порядок, очистить от неприличностей
  • clear the air    успокоить страхи, тревоги
  • come clean    сознаться
  • sweep clean    выиграть всухую

Español (Spanish)
adj. - despejado, limpio, aseado
adv. - limpiamente, en forma despejada, en forma aseada
v. tr. - limpiar, asear
v. intr. - limpiarse, asearse, despejarse
n. - acto de limpieza

idioms:

  • a clean bill of health    buen estado de salud, patente limpia (de sanidad)
  • a clean sweep    llevarse todo, hacer tabla rasa de, acaparar
  • clean animal    animal limpio
  • clean as a whistle    limpio como una patena
  • clean out    vaciar y limpiar, pelar, desplumar a alguien
  • clean slate    un récord limpio, no tener antecedentes, prontuario limpio
  • clean someone out    vaciar y limpiar, pelar, desplumar a alguien, robar a alguien
  • clean up    limpiar, poner en orden, adecentar, acabar con, barrer con todo, hacer la limpieza
  • clean up one's act    conducirse correctamente
  • come clean    confesarlo todo
  • make a clean breast of    dar la cara

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - rengöra, snygga upp, rensa, skala, tömma, bli ren
adj. - ren, fläckfri, slät, nätt, skicklig, fullständig, pank (sl.)
n. - rengöring

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
清洁的, 未使用过的, 未被污染的, 新鲜的, 清洁地, 完全地, 清理, 出空, 使干净, 被打扫, 做清洁工作, 被弄干净, 打扫, 去垢

idioms:

  • a clean bill of health    免疫报告书
  • a clean slate    改头换面, 重新开始, 清白历史
  • a clean sweep    改头换面, 重新开始, 清白历史
  • clean animal    开膛去毛, 干净的动物
  • clean as a whistle    如口哨般地清澈
  • clean out    清除, 打扫干净
  • clean up    打扫干净, 赚钱, 整理
  • clean up one's act    改变生活的方式, 改头换面
  • come clean    全盘托出, 招供
  • make a clean breast of    坦白供认, 把...全盘托出

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 清潔的, 未使用過的, 未被污染的, 新鮮的
adv. - 清潔地, 完全地
v. tr. - 清理, 出空, 使乾淨
v. intr. - 被打掃, 做清潔工作, 被弄乾淨
n. - 打掃, 去垢

idioms:

  • a clean bill of health    免疫報告書
  • a clean slate    改頭換面, 重新開始, 清白歷史
  • a clean sweep    改頭換面, 重新開始, 清白歷史
  • clean animal    開膛去毛, 乾凈的動物
  • clean as a whistle    如口哨般地清澈
  • clean out    清除, 打掃乾淨
  • clean up    打掃乾淨, 賺錢, 整理
  • clean up one's act    改變生活的方式, 改頭換面
  • come clean    全盤托出, 招供
  • make a clean breast of    坦白供認, 把...全盤托出

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 깨끗한, 순수한, 흠 없는, 정당한
adv. - 깨끗하게, 완전히, 바로
v. tr. - 깨끗하게 하다
v. intr. - 청소하다, 깨끗해지다
n. - 손질, 청소

idioms:

  • a clean bill of health    건강 증명서
  • a clean slate    깨끗한 경력, 훌륭한 기록
  • a clean sweep    일소, 압도적 승리
  • clean out    말끔히 쓸어내다, 다 써버리다, 남에게서 (돈)을 빼앗다
  • clean up    청소하다, 몸을 단정하게 하다, 소탕하다
  • come clean    실토하다, 자백하다
  • make a clean breast of    모조리 자백하다

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - きれいな, 清潔な, 未使用の, 潔白な, 前科がない清浄な, すっきりした, 形のよい, きれい好きな, 完全な
v. - 掃除する, きれいにする, 臓物を除く
adv. - 完全に, すっかり, きれいに, 公正に
n. - 掃除

idioms:

  • a clean slate    汚点のない経歴
  • a clean sweep    完璧に勝利する
  • clean animal    純血動物
  • clean as a whistle    非常にきれいな, すっかり乾いて
  • clean bill of health    健康証明書, 適格証明
  • clean out    きれいにする, 空っぽにする, から金を巻き上げる, 一掃する
  • clean up    掃除する, 浄化する, もうける
  • clean up one's act    態度を改める, まともになる
  • clean up your act    態度を改める, まともになる
  • come clean    本当のことを言う
  • make a clean breast of    すっかり打ち明ける

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) نظف, غسل (صفه) نظيف, طاهر, شريف (الاسم) تنظيفه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮נקי, טהור, חלק, כשר, מושלם, חף מחשד, מיומן, שלם, שווה‬
adv. - ‮לחלוטין, לגמרי‬
v. tr. - ‮ניקה‬
v. intr. - ‮התנקה‬
n. - ‮לחלוטין, ניקוי, התנקות‬


 
Best of the Web: clean
Top

Some good "clean" pages on the web:


American Sign Language
commtechlab.msu.edu
 
 
 

Did you mean: clean, The Clean (Rock Band, '80s-2000s), Clean (2004 Drama Film), CLEAN (abbreviation), Clean (programming language), Clean (album), CLEAN (algorithm) More...

Learn More
soil
sanitize
black

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Financial & Investment Dictionary. Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms. Copyright © 2006 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Hacker Slang. The Jargon File. Copyright © 2007.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more