clean

clean¹ W2 [kli:n] adj comparative cleaner superlative cleanest

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1¦(not dirty)¦

2¦(people/animals)¦

3¦(environment)¦

4¦(fair or legal)¦

5¦(not offensive)¦

6 come clean

7 make a clean breast of it

8 a clean break

9 clean sheet/slate

10 clean hands

11¦(paper)¦

12¦(smooth)¦

13 a clean bill of health

14 a clean sweep

15¦(taste)¦

16 clean copy

17¦(movement)¦

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[: Old English; Origin: clAne]

1.) ¦(NOT DIRTY)¦

without any dirt, marks etc

≠ ↑dirty

▪ Are your hands clean?

▪ clean towels

▪ Make sure you keep the wound clean .

▪ Wipe that sink clean when you're done.

▪ As usual, she left her room clean and tidy before going to school.

▪ a spotlessly clean kitchen

▪ I want you to get those plates as clean as a whistle.

2.) ¦(PEOPLE/ANIMALS)¦

having a clean appearance and habits

▪ Cats are naturally clean.

3.) ¦(ENVIRONMENT)¦

containing or producing nothing that is dirty or harmful

→↑cleanly

clean air/water/energy etc

▪ the Clean Air Act

▪ cleaner fuels

4.) ¦(FAIR OR LEGAL)¦

a) done in a fair or legal way

≠ ↑dirty

▪ a clean fight

b) showing that you have followed the rules

▪ a clean driving licence

▪ For the last three years, he's had a clean record .

c) [not before noun] informal

not hiding any weapons or illegal drugs

▪ They searched him at the airport, but he was clean.

d) [not before noun]

no longer taking illegal drugs

▪ Dave's been clean for two years now.

5.) ¦(NOT OFFENSIVE)¦

talk, jokes, behaviour etc that are clean are not offensive or about sex

≠ ↑dirty

▪ Oh, don't get mad - it's just good clean fun !

▪ Keep it clean (=do not offend people with what you say) .

clean living

(=a way of life which is healthy and moral)

6.) come clean informal

to finally tell the truth about something you have been hiding

come clean about

▪ The government should come clean about its plans.

7.) make a clean breast of it

to admit that you have done something wrong so that you no longer feel guilty

8.) a clean break

a) a complete and sudden separation from a person, organization, or situation

▪ Den left the next day, needing to make a clean break .

9.) clean sheet/slate

a record of someone's work, behaviour, performance etc that shows they have not done anything wrong or made any mistakes

▪ Jed looked forward to starting life again with a clean sheet.

▪ Lewis has kept a clean sheet in every game (=not let the other team score) .

10.) clean hands

if a person, government, organization etc has clean hands, they have done something in a fair or legal way

▪ Neither side is coming to the negotiating table with completely clean hands.

11.) ¦(PAPER)¦

a piece of paper that is clean has not yet been used

= ↑fresh

12.) ¦(SMOOTH)¦

having a smooth or regular edge or surface

→↑cleanly

▪ a clean cut

▪ Use a clean, simple typeface for signs.

13.) a clean bill of health

a report that says you are healthy or that a machine or building is safe

▪ Inspectors gave the factory a clean bill of health .

14.) a clean sweep

a) a very impressive victory in a competition, election etc

a clean sweep for

▪ All the polls had pointed to a clean sweep for the Democrats.

▪ Hopes that the French would make a clean sweep at the Games were dashed.

b) a complete change in a company or organization, often by removing people

15.) ¦(TASTE)¦

having a fresh pleasant taste

▪ Add a little lemon juice to give the pasta a cool, clean taste.

16.) clean copy

a piece of writing without mistakes or other marks written on it

17.) ¦(MOVEMENT)¦

a clean movement in sport is skilful and exact

▪ He steadied his arm, hoping for a clean shot.

>cleanness n [U]

→↑clean-cut,keep your nose clean at ↑nose¹ (9)

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

keep something clean

wipe something clean (=wipe a cloth over something so it is clean)

sweep/scrub etc something clean (=rub something hard with a cloth or brush so it is clean)

clean and tidy especially BrE

neat and clean especially AmE

nice and clean

spotlessly/scrupulously clean (=very clean)

as clean as a whistle (=very clean)

WORD FOCUS: CLEAN

very clean: spotless, pristine, immaculate, spick and span

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clean ²

clean² W3S1 v

1.) [I and T]

to remove dirt from something by rubbing or washing

→↑cleanse

▪ Your shoes need cleaning .

▪ Is it easy to clean ?

clean sth down/off

▪ We clean the machines down at the end of each day.

clean sth off/from sth

▪ He used a tissue to clean his fingerprints off the gun.

→↑dry-clean,spring-clean at ↑spring-cleaning

2.) [I and T]

to clean a building or other people's houses as your job

▪ Anne comes in to clean twice a week.

3.) clean your teeth

BrE to make your teeth clean using a ↑toothbrush and ↑toothpaste

American Equivalent: brush your teeth

4.) [T]

to remove the inside parts of an animal or bird before cooking it

▪ Harry caught the fish and cleaned them himself.

5.) clean your plate

to eat all your food

clean out [clean sb/sth out] phr v

1.) clean sth<=>out

to make the inside of a room, house etc clean or tidy

▪ We'd better clean out the attic this week.

2.) clean sb out informal

if something expensive cleans you out, you spend so much money on it that you now have very little left

▪ Quite frankly, that trip to Paris cleaned me out.

3.) clean sb/sth out informal

to steal everything from a place, or all of someone's possessions

clean up phr v

1.) to make a place completely clean and tidy

▪ We spent all Saturday morning cleaning up.

clean sth<=>up

▪ plans to clean up the beaches

clean up after

▪ John always expects other people to clean up after him (=to make a place clean after he has used it) .

2.) to wash yourself after you have got very dirty

clean yourself up

▪ Let me just go clean myself up.

▪ Dad's upstairs getting cleaned up .

3.) clean up your act informal

to start behaving sensibly and responsibly

▪ Some companies could face heavy fines if they fail to clean up their act.

4.) informal to win a lot of money or make a lot of money in a business deal

▪ He cleaned up at the races yesterday.

5.) clean sth<=>up

to improve moral standards in a place or organization

▪ It's high time British soccer cleaned up its image .

→↑clean-up

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WORD FOCUS: words meaning CLEAN

wash with soap and water

wipe with a damp cloth

brush with a brush to remove the dirt

polish by rubbing with a cloth

scrub by rubbing hard

sweep with a broom

mop with water and a mop (=a tool with a long handle)

vacuum also hoover (BrE) with a machine that sucks up dust

disinfect using chemicals to kill germs

cleanse to clean your skin using a special cream

rinse to put water on to remove dirt or soap

dust to remove dust, for example with a cloth

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clean ³

clean³ adv

used to emphasize the fact that an action or movement is complete and thorough

clean away/through/out

▪ The thieves got clean away with $300,000 worth of equipment.

▪ The car hit her with such force that she was lifted clean off the ground.

▪ Sorry, I clean forgot (=completely forgot) your birthday.

clean ⁴

clean⁴ n [singular] BrE

a process in which you clean something

▪ The car needs a good clean.