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📝 Easy to understand 🧹 To remove things 🌤️ No obstacles 💬 To explain 😌 No guilt ✅ To approve officially 💰 To earn money 🤧 To cough slightly 🆓 No blame 💧 To make pure 🏃‍♂️ To go over 🔔 Pure or sharp 🗑️ To erase data 📄 No claims 🔊 Easily understood
to clear

to clear

52 3.1
To go over or past something without touching it
  • verb
  • /klɪr/
translation icon : saltar
  • As the airplane ascended, it cleared the clouds and revealed a beautiful blue sky.

This thing really doesn't clear the ground as it's going up.

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Examples

  • Uruguayan 571, cleared to 10,000 ft.

    Alive (1993)

  • The Belle, flying very low, barely clearing the treetops, just Engine One still turning.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Clear to drop in five, four, three, two, one.

    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

  • Hit the plunger - as soon as they clear the bridge!

    Tropic Thunder (2008)

  • We've got to climb fast if we're going to clear those trees.

    Five Came Back (1939)

  • Some lose their boat to the first wave; others clear the surf and scramble aboard.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • My shot is conservative, but it clears the Ditch with yards to spare.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • A moment later, the helicopter passes it, the rotor just clearing the top of the car.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The Delta II went up four feet, cleared the launch tower, and promptly nose-dived into the ground.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The basketball soared through the air and cleared the top of the backboard effortlessly.

Synonyms

to pass
vsto clear
∞ 1.0

To move past something or someone

focuses specifically on avoiding contact with obstacles rather than route type
to pass by
vsto clear
165 1.2

Go past someone or something without stopping

is about avoiding contact rather than about stopping or not while moving
to glide
vsto clear
89 2.9

To move smoothly and without effort through the air or over a surface

highlights avoiding touch with obstacles rather than the smooth manner of motion
to walk past
vsto clear
69 1.0

To go past something on foot without stopping

applies to any moving object clearing obstacles, not only people on foot
to pass over
vsto clear
26 3.3

To move across a place, often above the ground

is the general notion of going past, over, or under without contact
to fly by
vsto clear
16 2.2

To move past something while in the air

applies to any moving object clearing an obstacle, not only airborne ones
to skim over
vsto clear
1 3.9

To move quickly and lightly just above a surface

covers any route avoiding contact, not only quick light movement

Antonyms

to collide
64 3.1

Crash into each other while moving

Idioms

in the clear
  • Informal
33 4.4

Not in danger, trouble, or under suspicion

the coast is clear
  • Informal
11 3.2

Safe to go because no one is watching

to see one's way clear
  • Informal
3 8.0

Decide you can do something after problems are solved

clear and to the point
1 3.7

Easy to understand without extra details

Phrasal Verbs

to make oneself clear
545 3.4

Say something so other people understand what you mean

to clear up
172 2.3

To explain something so people understand it

to clear out
91 3.1

Remove all things from a place so it becomes empty

to clear up
51 2.0

To become clear after cloudy or rainy weather

to steer clear of
  • Informal
34 4.0

To stay away from people and things that may cause trouble or harm

to clear the air
  • Informal
24 4.1

Help people stop feeling angry or worried by talking about the problem

to clear the table
16 1.1

Remove dishes and other things from the table after a meal

to clear up
12 2.6

To finish tasks completely so nothing is left

to clear away
10 1.8

To take things away from a place to make it tidy

to clear off
8 3.0

Remove things from a surface to make it empty or clean

to clear the decks
  • Informal
4 5.7

Finish current tasks and remove problems to prepare for something new

to clear out
2 4.6

Remove mucus from the chest or lungs by coughing

to clear-cut
  • Specialized
2 6.1

To cut down all the trees in an area at once

to clear one's head
1 3.9

To stop thinking about upsetting or confusing thoughts to feel calmer

to clear someone's mind
1 3.7

To stop worrying and think calmly to focus

to clear the table
  • Specialized
1 4.2

Remove all rows from a database table to make it empty

to clear (someone's) inbox
  • Texting
3.0

Deal with all the emails in your inbox so it is empty or easy to handle

to clear the throat
2.7

To cough slightly to remove mucus from your throat or to get attention

to set a clear boundary
4.1

To make a clear line between two areas or kinds of activity

Compounds

crystal clear
  • Informal
43 2.5

Very easy to understand or hear

clear-cut
27 4.2

Easy to see and understand

all clear
  • Formal
26 3.2

A signal like a siren or announcement that tells people it is safe after an emergency

clear sign
10 1.3

An obvious thing that shows something is true

clear and present danger
  • Formal
7 7.6

A legal rule that allows stopping speech when it poses a serious, obvious threat to public safety

clear statement
5 2.1

A message that clearly shows someone's opinion or decision and is easy to understand

crystal clear
5 3.1

Completely see-through so you can easily see inside

clear sailing
  • Informal
2 3.5

A time when things move forward easily and without problems

clear-cutting
  • Specialized
2 5.2

Cutting down all the trees in an area at once

clear communication
1 2.5

An exchange of information that people understand easily

clear-air turbulence
  • Specialized
1 8.4

Sudden strong air movement in clear sky that shakes airplanes

clear liquid diet
  • Specialized
1 3.7

Only clear drinks and foods like broth, juice or gelatin for medical reasons

clear blue sea
1 1.2

A calm part of the ocean that has very clear blue water

clear alignment
3.9

A clear agreement with an idea, policy, or group

clear battle line
5.4

A clear division between two groups that shows who supports each side in a dispute

clear glaze
  • Specialized
4.1

A clear, thin layer put on wood or other surfaces to protect them and make them look shiny

clear-eyed analysis
6.0

An honest, fair look at the facts

How Clean

to vault
28 4.4
to clear
52 3.1
to miss
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

clear infinitive
cleared past
cleared past participle
clearing present participle
clears third person singular

Etymology

To clear a jump or obstacle means to pass it without touching, and you can remember this by thinking of making a space 'free' and open — the same idea behind Latin clarus of being plain and free.