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to clean

to clean

29 8.4
To take all someone's money, often in gambling
  • verb
  • /klin/
  • Informal
: arruinar
  • With what money he had left after his wife cleaned him out, he indulged himself by remodeling the kitchen.

Batty just cleaned out you piece of shit.

Examples

  • "Look here, they cleaned us out," Father Tim peered into the depths of the empty shrimp basket.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • They cleaned the bank and me out.

  • I went, I went, I'm going to clean him out like so just so you know, be ready.

  • His M.O. is to clean 'em out and take off.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • I'm going to clean him out, him and the rest of those farmers.

  • Vegas and the Super Bowl cleaned me out.

  • Norton's crooked dealing allows them to clean out a bunch of rich kids in a college game.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I TOLD HER TO TAKE HIM FOR EVERY CENT, CLEAN HIM OUT.

  • I can't believe they managed to clean me out during the poker game last night.

  • After the betting frenzy, I realized they had truly cleaned me out.

Synonyms

to clean out
vsto clean
  • Informal
23 5.1

Make someone lose all their money or possessions

is narrower, focusing on money and gambling or robbery in informal use

Idioms

An official statement that a person or thing is healthy and has no serious problems

9 5.0

To start fresh by forgetting past mistakes and problems

8 9.3

Beat someone badly in a game or fight

To tell the whole truth about something wrong you did

Do something new and not worry about past mistakes

Run away quickly to avoid danger or trouble

To avoid trouble and not attract bad attention

Phrasal Verbs

841 1.0

To make a room or area free of dirt and tidy by removing mess

to clean up
  • Informal
257 2.7

To finish dealing with things and put them in order

185 3.2

Empty a place or container by removing everything inside

to come clean
  • Informal
116 4.1

To say the truth about something you kept secret

70 2.0

To wash and make yourself look neat

To remove dirt or mud from a surface

to clean up
  • Informal
41 3.9

To stop using drugs or alcohol and stay sober

To make a house clean and tidy by removing dirt and putting things in order

to clean out
  • Informal
23 5.1

Make someone lose all their money or possessions

to clean out
  • Informal
17 3.6

Remove people completely from a place or group because they are unwanted

to clean house
  • Informal
13 4.0

To remove unwanted people or things to make a group work better

12 3.3

To clean clothes using chemicals instead of water

To remove dirt or spills from the floor using a mop

Remove dirt or stains from something using hot steam

To remove dirt and leaves from a swimming pool

Remove waste from a cat's litter tray

To clean the whole house very thoroughly, usually in spring

To clean a carpet or floor with a vacuum cleaner

to clean up
  • Informal
1 4.8

To make a lot of money quickly or easily

To remove harmful things from the body or a computer

Compounds

48 1.0

Water that is safe to drink and use

clean slate
  • Informal
31 4.1

A chance to start again without being blamed for past mistakes

18 3.8

Having a neat, smart look and tidy clothes

clean break
  • Informal
15 3.9

A complete ending of a relationship or old life to start fresh

14 3.5

A person with no hair on the face, like on the chin and cheeks

clean sweep
  • Informal
9 3.6

A full success when someone wins everything or makes a complete change

8 3.7

Living in a morally careful way and avoiding drinking, smoking, and drugs

clean room
  • Specialized
7 6.4

A room where people keep the air and surfaces very clean for making microchips and other sensitive equipment

clean-burning
  • Specialized
4 5.3

Produces little smoke or ash when burned

clean code
  • Specialized
1 4.0

Clear, well organized computer instructions that are easy to read and change

code clean
  • Specialized
1 5.8

Source code written clearly so other programmers can read and change it

clean and jerk
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A weightlifting move where you lift a heavy bar to your shoulders then push it above your head

Very clean and tidy with no dirt or marks

clean bomb
  • Archaic
1 6.1

A nuclear bomb that produces very little radioactive fallout

An organized activity where people pick up litter in a public place

1 7.4

Having well-shaped arms and legs that look strong and graceful

8.0

A style of building with simple straight lines and visible wood parts

clean-up event
  • Specialized
3.7

A scheduled task that deletes temporary files to free disk space

7.2

A clean room where air moves in smooth parallel layers to keep tiny particles away during work like making microchips

How Broke

to clean
  • Informal
29 8.4
to rob
852 1.2
to steal
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

clean infinitive
cleaned past
cleaned past participle
cleaning present participle
cleans third person singular

Etymology

Clean in the phrase 'clean out' came to mean 'take everything', so to be cleaned at cards or to 'clean someone out' is to lose all your money.