to clear up
12
2.6
- phrasal verb
- /klɪr ʌp/
:
resolver
- I start something, it turns into a big mess, and then I clear up the mess.
- clear up the backlog
- clear up this mess
- clear up our unfinished business
Why wouldn't why wouldn't someone like clear up this park?
- Why wouldn't why wouldn't someone like clear up this park?
- And then the city brought in a new city attorney and things cleared up.
- I'm going to do the Depop today and that'll really, really help clear up the studio space down here.
- I think I didn't didn't do, but I still took responsibility of them for them so the whole process could get cleared up.
- Start taking away stuff and you'll start clearing up your your mental bandwidth and pick a goal and start moving towards it.
Examples
-
So we can actually clear this up once and for all on this here podcast.
-
From the beginning, he was dismissive, almost condescending, assuring me he would clear up my problem immediately.
Academic text (1994) -
I thought maybe you can clear some stuff up for me.
-
Also, l have to be back at school to clear up some things with my department head.
-
We tried to get some, but it would have taken months to clear up the red tape.
-
We were given time off school to help clear up the beaches.
Fiction book (1996) -
The fun chilled day is over, it's just time to clear up all of the mess.
-
Well, why don't you guys go on in and I'll just clear these dishes up?
-
A debt settlement program can help an individual clear up bad debt and regain a sense of control over their finances.
Blog text (21) -
After the meeting, I need to clear up the misunderstandings that arose during our discussion.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To bring something to an end or complete it
∞
1.0
To finish something or make it whole
333
2.7
To finish dealing with things and put them in order
226
3.0
Finish an activity or task
190
2.0
To complete an activity or task
134
2.8
To finish a task you need to do
128
3.3
To finish a difficult or long task
74
3.8
Complete the last details to make something ready
56
4.1
Deal with and finish a problem or task so it no longer causes trouble
31
2.5
To complete the last part of a task
22
3.3
Finish the last small details to complete something
17
3.7
Bring an activity or meeting to an end
15
1.8
Complete all the work needed for a task
11
4.0
To complete something by adding the final touches
6
3.6
Finish small remaining tasks and problems before ending a project
4
3.8
To finish something quickly and easily, for example a meal or a task
4
5.7
Finish current tasks and remove problems to prepare for something new
1
3.3
To finish the last parts of a job
1
5.3
To finish something unpleasant so you stop worrying
Finish something completely so no more work is needed
Antonyms
How Complete
Surface Forms
Morphology
clear + up
The weather sense 'to become clear' is directly derivable from 'clear' (free of clouds or obstruction) combined with the particle 'up' signaling change or completion; this composition follows a common English verb+particle pattern. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g., Spanish despejarse, French s'éclaircir) and the parallel sense 'clear up' = 'improve/become clear' make the meaning accessible to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
The verb clear up comes from the picture of clearing a table: you clear the plates and papers up until nothing is left. So clear up now means 'finish a task' or 'deal with something completely'.