# clean

Pronunciation: say "KLEEN" US /klin/, UK /kliːn/

## Verb

1. To remove dirt, dust or marks from something, or to do this as a general household task.
   - Simple: To take away dirt from something, or to do the cleaning in a home or place.
   - _She cleaned the muddy boots before stepping inside._
   - _Volunteers clean the riverbank every spring._
3. To put things in order so that a place looks neat and tidy.
   - Simple: To make a place neat by putting things where they belong.
   - _He cleaned the cluttered garage over the weekend._
   - _I need to clean my bedroom and put away the clothes piled on the floor._
12. To detect and fix or delete errors, duplicate entries, and inconsistencies in a data set so that it is ready for use.
   - Simple: To fix or remove mistakes and repeated entries in a set of data before using it.
   - _Always clean the dataset before you train a model on it._
   - _The team cleaned the patient records, merging duplicates and standardizing dates, before running the analysis._
18. To remove the internal organs and other unwanted parts, such as scales or feathers, from a fish or other animal killed for food.
   - Simple: To take out the insides and other unwanted parts of a fish or animal before cooking it.
   - _The fisherman cleaned his catch on the dock as gulls circled._
   - _Hunters must clean the deer quickly to preserve the meat._
24. To remove unnecessary files from a directory, drive, or other storage.
   - Simple: To delete files you don't need from a folder or computer.
   - _The script cleans the cache directory every night._
   - _Engineers clean the build directory before each release._
26. In video games, usually clean up: to deal with or finish off whatever remains, such as the last enemies or objectives.
   - Simple: In video games, usually clean up: to finish off the last enemies or tasks that are left.
   - _Once the tank went down, our healer hung back to clean up the stragglers while the rest of us pushed ahead._
   - _I spent the weekend cleaning up the leftover collectibles so I could finally reach one hundred percent completion._

## Adjective

2. Free of dirt, filth, or other unwanted matter; not soiled or stained.
   - Simple: Free from dirt, dust, or marks, and not dirty.
   - _He kept his workshop clean despite the constant sawdust._
   - _After hours of scrubbing, the windows were perfectly clean._
5. Causing little or no harm to the environment, especially compared with an alternative.
   - Simple: Not harming the environment as much as other choices do.
   - _Investors poured money into clean energy projects._
   - _Electric cars are often promoted as a clean alternative to gasoline._
6. Free of contamination, harmful germs, infection, or disease.
   - Simple: Without harmful germs, infection, or disease.
   - _Surgeons scrub thoroughly to keep their hands clean during operations._
   - _Hospitals must keep instruments clean to prevent infection._
7. Of a design, layout, or interface, plain and uncluttered, with crisp lines and no unneeded elements.
   - Simple: Simple and not crowded, with clear lines and nothing extra.
   - _The redesigned dashboard has a clean layout that puts the key numbers front and center._
   - _The magazine's art director favors clean typography and plenty of white space._
8. Smooth, precise, and well executed, without errors or roughness.
   - Simple: Done smoothly and exactly, without mistakes.
   - _The pianist gave a clean performance with no missed notes._
   - _The diver entered the water with a clean, splash-free motion._
9. No longer using drugs or alcohol, especially after a period of dependence.
   - Simple: Not using drugs or alcohol, especially after stopping.
   - _After rehab, he remained clean for over a decade._
   - _Staying clean meant avoiding the friends who still used._
13. Free from corrupt, unlawful, or dishonest conduct; (of a criminal or driving record) carrying no penalties or restrictions.
   - Simple: Not involved in crime or dishonest acts, with no record of breaking the law.
   - _Investigators concluded that the firm's accounts were entirely clean._
   - _A clean criminal record helped her pass the security check._
10. Containing relatively few impurities; nearly pure.
   - Simple: Having only a small amount of unwanted matter mixed in.
   - _The lab needed a clean reagent free of trace metals._
   - _Refiners process crude oil into cleaner fractions with fewer contaminants._
14. Free of swearing, obscene material, or sexual content.
   - Simple: Having no rude words or sexual content in it.
   - _She prefers clean comedy that the whole family can enjoy._
   - _The radio edit is clean, with every swear word removed._
11. Morally or religiously pure; free from sin, guilt, or spiritual impurity.
   - Simple: Pure in a moral or religious way, free from sin or wrongdoing.
   - _The ritual was meant to leave worshippers clean before their god._
   - _He longed to feel clean again after years of guilt._
15. Of sound, a recording, or an audio signal, clear and undistorted, with no unwanted noise.
   - Simple: Sounding clear, without crackling, fuzz, or other unwanted noise.
   - _The remastered album sounds remarkably clean, with none of the hiss of the original tapes._
   - _The engineer swapped out a faulty cable and got a much cleaner signal from the guitar amp._
16. Having nothing on or in it; blank, unmarked, or empty, as a clean sheet of paper.
   - Simple: With nothing written on it or nothing inside it, so it is blank or empty.
   - _She turned to a clean page in her notebook and started the list again._
   - _The artist stared at the clean canvas for an hour before making her first mark._
19. Of food or an eating plan, consisting of whole foods with little processing, thought of as healthy.
   - Simple: Made of whole, simple foods that are not heavily processed and are seen as healthy.
   - _After a month on a clean diet, he said he had more energy and slept better._
   - _The cafe markets its menu as clean, built around whole grains, roasted vegetables, and nothing from a package._
20. Cool, neat, or impressively stylish. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Cool, neat, or impressive in a stylish way.
   - _His whole look tonight, from the fresh fade to the gold watch, is seriously clean._
   - _Dude, your outfit is so clean tonight; the hat really pulls it together._
22. Complete, total, or absolute; free from anything that limits or holds back.
   - Simple: Complete and total, with nothing left over or held back.
   - _The thieves made a clean getaway before police arrived._
   - _She wanted a clean break from her old life._
23. Not in possession of weapons or illegal goods such as drugs. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Not carrying any weapons, drugs, or other illegal things.
   - _Police patted him down and confirmed he was clean._
   - _The couriers traveled clean that night, leaving the cargo behind._
25. Of a victory or performance, free of fouls, interference, or disqualification.
   - Simple: Used about a win that was fair, with no fouls or cheating.
   - _The judges called it a clean win, untainted by any foul._
   - _She earned a clean victory after dominating every round._
27. Free of hidden listening or recording devices and of enemy spies.
   - Simple: Having no hidden microphones, cameras, or spies.
   - _Technicians swept the embassy and declared the suite clean._
   - _She refused to talk until the car was confirmed clean._
29. Of an aircraft, with landing gear and flaps retracted and nothing protruding, so air flows smoothly over it.
   - Simple: Of a plane, with its wheels and flaps folded away so air passes smoothly over it.
   - _The pilot kept the aircraft clean during the climb, waiting until final approach to extend the flaps and gear._
   - _A clean wing produces far less drag at cruising speed._

## Noun

4. The act or process of removing dirt from something.
   - Simple: The act of getting rid of dirt from something.
   - _The whole house got a thorough clean before the holidays._
   - _A quick clean of the windows made the office much brighter._
21. In weightlifting, the first movement of the clean and jerk, raising the bar from the floor to the shoulders.
   - Simple: In weightlifting, the move that lifts the bar from the floor up to your shoulders.
   - _After a smooth clean, he struggled to lock out the jerk, and the judges ruled the lift no good._
   - _A strong clean sets up the rest of the lift._
28. In metal music, clearly sung vocals, contrasted with death growls and screams.
   - Simple: In metal music, singing done in a clear voice instead of growls or screams.
   - _Their singer layers melodic cleans over the band's brutal riffs._
   - _Their early records were pure growling, but the new songs lean heavily on cleans, which some longtime fans find too soft._

## Adverb

17. Fully and completely; all the way.
   - Simple: Completely or all the way, with nothing left.
   - _The arrow passed clean through the target._
   - _By the time the alarm sounded, the thief had got clean away._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Of a climb, completed from bottom to top without any falls.
- (adjective) Having no flaws, and nothing in it that is unneeded or harmful.
- (verb) To take out the protective gear left on a route after a lead climber has gone up it.
- (verb) To sweep gently ahead of a sliding stone to clear away bits of debris so it stays on its proper path, using lighter strokes than a full sweep.
- (verb) To touch up a scanned comic page, removing flaws left by the scanner such as a brownish tint or weak color contrast.

## Origin

Old English clǣne, meaning "clean" or "pure," became Middle English clene. It goes back further to Proto-West Germanic *klainī, which meant "fine, small, dainty" or "clean," and perhaps to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to gleam." Relatives include Dutch and German klein ("small") and Swedish klen ("weak, delicate").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/clean (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).