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Glite Dictionary
to clear off

to clear off

24 3.0
Remove things from a surface to make it empty or clean
  • phrasal verb
  • /klɪr ɔf/
: limpiar
  • I gather up the dinner, clear off the picnic table, and toss the garbage into the can.
  • clear off the table
  • clear off the desk
  • clear off the dishes

There was a barbed wire fence and they they had cleared off some of the land and chop the trees down.

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Examples

  • I'll clear off a space where you can just lie down until the storm passes, okay?

    Smallfoot (2018)

  • Then let's clear this off the table and get everybody focused on the crime bill.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • You and you, clear off the table.

    Quarantine 2: Terminal (2011)

  • Come on, come on, clear off the street.

    Valentino (1977)

  • We are going to clear this off and move our computer onto the desk.

  • Let's clear off the desk first.

    The Hours (2002)

  • Hey, Anthony, I'm gonna need you to clear off this contract.

    Copshop (2021)

  • Now clear all this stuff off the porch before I call the marshal.

    Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

  • Dignan clears everything off the desk with one quick sweep of the arm.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Please clear off the desk so we can start the project.

Synonyms

to clear
vsto clear off
839 1.5

To remove people or things from a place

is limited to taking objects from a surface rather than removing large obstructions
to clean up
vsto clear off
  • Informal
257 2.7

To finish dealing with things and put them in order

refers to taking objects from a surface to leave it free not general tidying
to empty
vsto clear off
213 1.0

To remove everything from a container or place

focuses on removing objects from a surface rather than removing container contents
to clean
vsto clear off
210 1.0

To empty something completely

targets taking items from a surface rather than emptying containers
to wipe off
vsto clear off
131 1.0

Remove dirt or marks from a surface by rubbing with a cloth

is about removing objects so the surface becomes empty rather than rubbing marks
to clean (something) off
vsto clear off
52 1.0

To remove dirt or mud from a surface

focuses on removing objects so the surface becomes empty
to wipe away
vsto clear off
47 2.0

To remove something from a surface by moving a cloth over it, like tears or dirt

focuses on taking objects so the surface becomes empty not just removing stains
to clear away
vsto clear off
25 1.8

To take things away from a place to make it tidy

applies more to surfaces, not whole areas or groups of items

Antonyms

to clutter
22 3.7

To fill a space with many things so it becomes untidy

How Empty

to empty
213 1.0
to clear off
24 3.0
to tidy
44 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

clear + off

The meaning is directly built from 'clear' (to remove) plus the particle 'off' (indicating removal from a surface), so the combined sense 'remove things from a surface so it becomes empty or clean' is compositionally predictable. This verb+particle pattern is common in English and mirrored in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Clear off comes from the simple image of taking things away from a surface: clear means to make empty and off means move away from it. Imagine pushing plates off a table so the top is empty; that's why it means 'to remove things from a surface so it becomes empty or clean'.