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Glite Dictionary
to clean the floor

to clean the floor

9 1.0
To remove dirt or spills from the floor using a mop
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : limpiar el suelo
  • I think that's the best thing to do, to empty it out, clean the floors of the office because they're quite dusty.
  • clean the bathroom floor
  • clean the kitchen floor
  • help me clean the floor

Examples

  • Every Friday, we clean the floor to keep the house tidy and hygienic.

  • I just cleaned the floors, so this is fine.

  • I spent the whole night cleaning the floor.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • So I'm just going to clean the floor while I back out of the room.

  • The school board paid her and her grandmother a little above minimum wage to clean the floors of the school at night.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Suzie returns to the kitchen to clean the egg off the floor.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • There needs to be daily maintenance to clean floors, remove garbage, and maintain bathrooms.

    Blog text (2)

  • Apparently, even the guys who clean the floors at the Lasch Football Building in State College knew.

    Blog text (10)

  • So I keep a vacuum nearby and I clean my floors when they're dirty.

    Blog text (23)

  • She even cleans the floors herself.

    The Apprentice (2024)

Synonyms

to clean up
vsto clean the floor
433 1.0

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

targets only removing dirt and stains from the floor for hygiene
to sweep
vsto clean the floor
227 1.0

To clean a floor or surface by brushing away dirt with a broom

is the complete removal of dirt, dust, and stains for hygiene
to vacuum
vsto clean the floor
48 1.7

Clean a floor or carpet with a machine that sucks up dirt

covers floor cleaning in general rather than only machine use
to mop
vsto clean the floor
37 1.0

To clean a floor with a long handle and wet cloth

includes that method but also other ways to remove floor dirt and stains
to sweep the floor
vsto clean the floor
14 1.0

To clean the floor by moving dust and dirt with a broom

is the general act of removing dirt and stains from the floor
to mop up
vsto clean the floor
5 2.6

To remove liquid or dirt from a floor with a cloth

is the wider process of making the floor clean and hygienic
to hoover up
vsto clean the floor
  • UK
1 4.3

To clean a carpet or floor using a vacuum cleaner

refers to floor hygiene overall, not only fast machine cleaning
to clean (something) off
vsto clean the floor
1 1.0

To remove dirt or mud from a surface

focuses specifically on floor cleaning for tidiness and hygiene
to vacuum-clean
vsto clean the floor
2.1

To clean a carpet or floor with a vacuum cleaner

is the broader task of making the floor tidy and hygienic by any method

Antonyms

to stain
113 3.2

To put color on something to change how it looks

How Clean

to scrub
55 1.0
to clean the floor
9 1.0
to sweep
227 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

clean + the + floor

The meaning 'to remove dirt from the floor' is directly and compositionally derived from 'clean' (to remove grime) and 'floor' (the room's bottom); the definite article 'the' does not affect the core meaning. This is a literal, cross-linguistically common action phrase, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand it.

Etymology

The verb clean the floor paints a simple picture: someone with a broom or mop rubbing the floor to clean away dust and stains. That's why it means 'to remove dirt and make it clean and tidy'.