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Glite Dictionary
🧹 To tidy 📄 To finish tasks 🚿 To wash oneself 🚫 To stop drugs 💰 To make money
to clean up

to clean up

333 2.7
To finish dealing with things and put them in order
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈklin ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : arreglar
  • Once we finish our project, we will clean up the workspace and return the supplies.
  • clean up the mess
  • clean up pollution
  • clean up waste

So we're gonna clean up the mess they left for us.

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Examples

  • We'll pay for the chair, and I'll clean all this up, the pool too.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I think the key here is cleaning it up on our end.

  • So we're going to pack and clean up right now.

  • So today I really, really need to clean up this place.

  • I think we have to clean it up faster than that.

    Danny Jones

  • Would it have killed you to clean up before you left?

    The Big White (2005)

  • Get a crew down here and clean this up.

    The China Syndrome (1979)

  • - Clean this place up.

    Lock Up (1989)

  • Second, they need to clean up all the contaminated areas.

  • It's my mess, and I'm gonna clean it up.

    Man of the Year (2006)

Synonyms

to wrap up
vsto clean up
226 3.0

Finish an activity or task

also implies putting things tidy or clearing away after that close
to finish up
vsto clean up
190 2.0

To complete an activity or task

adds the idea of arranging or removing things after completing duties
to clear out
vsto clean up
91 3.1

Remove all things from a place so it becomes empty

focuses more on arranging and removing unneeded things rather than total emptying
to clean out
vsto clean up
91 3.2

Empty a place or container by removing everything inside

is similar but usually adds organising and discarding unwanted items afterwards
to tidy
vsto clean up
42 1.0

To make a place neat by putting things away

adds the sense of finishing or clearing away what is no longer needed
to tidy up
vsto clean up
  • Informal
32 1.5

Make a room or desk neat by putting things in their right place

includes that neatness but also covers removing unwanted items and finalising
to finish off
vsto clean up
20 3.5

To use up the last of something

is less about using things fully and more about ordering and clearing
to wind up
vsto clean up
17 3.7

Bring an activity or meeting to an end

often involves organising or discarding items as part of concluding
to clear up
vsto clean up
12 2.6

To finish tasks completely so nothing is left

focuses more on putting things in order or removing unwanted items
to straighten out
vsto clean up
12 3.2

To make a place tidy and organized

emphasises finishing tasks and removing extras as part of the process
to clear away
vsto clean up
10 1.8

To take things away from a place to make it tidy

covers that removal but is more about completing and organising overall work
to clear off
vsto clean up
8 3.0

Remove things from a surface to make it empty or clean

is broader, often including arranging, cleaning, and finishing related tasks
to clear the decks
vsto clean up
  • Informal
4 5.7

Finish current tasks and remove problems to prepare for something new

is narrower, focusing on tidying or clearing things rather than preparing
to do out
vsto clean up
  • UK
1 5.8

To clean and tidy a room to make it ready to use

shares preparation but places more emphasis on completing related tasks
to clean (something) off
vsto clean up
1 1.0

To remove dirt or mud from a surface

focuses more on completing tasks and clearing away beyond surface cleaning

Antonyms

to neglect
256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Complete

to complete
∞ 1.0
to finalize
  • US
74 3.8
to clean up
  • Informal
333 2.7
to wrap up
226 3.0
to conclude
  • Formal
50 3.9

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

clean + up

There is a visible compositional link: 'clean' (to be free from dirt or contaminants, and by extension abstinent) plus 'up' (completion) yields a sense of becoming fully 'clean.' However, the specific sense 'stop using drugs' is a sociolinguistic/metaphorical extension of 'clean' that many B1 learners would not reliably infer from the constituents without prior exposure, so the phrase is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Clean up can mean to finish dealing with something; picture clearing papers and boxes away until everything is in order, with up showing the task is complete. So, it means 'to finish dealing with or put things in order'.