clear up

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia.

clear up

vb (adverb)

1. (tr) to explain or solve (a mystery, misunderstanding, etc)

2. to put (a place or thing that is disordered) in order

3. (intr) (of the weather) to become brighter

the act or an instance of clearing up

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	clear up - make clear and (more) comprehensible; "clarify the mystery surrounding her death" clarify, elucidate demystify - make less mysterious or remove the mystery from; "let's demystify the event by explaining what it is all about" crystalise, crystalize, crystallise, shed light on, sort out, crystallize, elucidate, illuminate, enlighten, straighten out, clear up, clear - make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear; "Could you clarify these remarks?"; "Clear up the question of who is at fault" explain, explicate - make plain and comprehensible; "He explained the laws of physics to his students" elaborate, expatiate, expound, lucubrate, dilate, flesh out, exposit, enlarge, expand - add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; "She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation" disambiguate - state unambiguously or remove ambiguities from; "Can you disambiguate this statement?"
	2.	clear up - finish a task completely; "I finally got through this homework assignment" finish off, finish up, get through, polish off, wrap up, mop up complete, finish - come or bring to a finish or an end; "He finished the dishes"; "She completed the requirements for her Master's Degree"; "The fastest runner finished the race in just over 2 hours; others finished in over 4 hours" cap off - finish or complete, as with some decisive action; "he capped off the meeting with a radical proposal"
	3.	clear up - free (the throat) by making a rasping sound; "Clear the throat" clear remove, take away, withdraw, take - remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract; "remove a threat"; "remove a wrapper"; "Remove the dirty dishes from the table"; "take the gun from your pocket"; "This machine withdraws heat from the environment"
	4.	clear up - become clear; "The sky cleared after the storm" brighten, clear, light up cloud, overcast - make overcast or cloudy; "Fall weather often overcasts our beaches"
	5.	clear up - make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear; "Could you clarify these remarks?"; "Clear up the question of who is at fault" crystalise, crystalize, crystallise, shed light on, sort out, illuminate, crystallize, elucidate, enlighten, straighten out, clear clarify, clear up, elucidate - make clear and (more) comprehensible; "clarify the mystery surrounding her death"

clear

adjective

1. Free from clouds or mist, for example:

cloudless, fair, fine, sunny, unclouded.

2. Free from what obscures or dims:

crystal clear, crystalline, limpid, lucid, pellucid, see-through, transparent.

3. Admitting light so that objects beyond can be seen:

crystal clear, crystalline, limpid, lucid, pellucid, see-through, translucent, transparent.

4. Free from flaws or blemishes:

flawless, unblemished, unmarked.

5. Free from obstructions:

free, open, unblocked, unimpeded, unobstructed.

6. Readily seen, perceived, or understood:

apparent, clear-cut, crystal clear, distinct, evident, manifest, noticeable, observable, obvious, patent, plain, pronounced, visible.

7. Clearly defined; not ambiguous:

distinct, sharp, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable.

8. Easily seen through due to a lack of subtlety:

broad, obvious, patent, plain, unmistakable, unsubtle.

9. Without any doubt:

clear-cut, decided, definite, distinct, pronounced, unquestionable.

10. Clearly, fully, and sometimes emphatically expressed:

categorical, clear-cut, decided, definite, explicit, express, positive, precise, specific, unambiguous, unequivocal.

11. Freed from contact or connection:

free.

12. Containing nothing:

bare, blank, empty, vacant, vacuous, void.

verb

1. To become brighter or fairer.Also used with up:

brighten, lighten.

2. To make clear or clearer.Also used with up:

clarify, elucidate, illuminate, illustrate.

Idiom: shed light on (or upon).

3. To rid of obstructions:

free, open, unblock.

4. To make or keep (an area) clean and orderly.Also used with up:

clean (up), neaten (up), police, spruce (up), straighten (up), tidy (up).

5. To free from an entanglement:

disengage, disentangle, disinvolve, extricate, untangle.

6. To remove the contents of:

clean out, empty (out), evacuate, vacate, void.

7. To free from or cast out something objectionable or undesirable:

disburden, disembarrass, disencumber, release, relieve, rid, shake off, throw off, unburden.

Slang: shake.

8. To destroy all traces of:

abolish, annihilate, blot out, eradicate, erase, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, kill, liquidate, obliterate, remove, root (out or up), rub out, snuff out, stamp out, uproot, wipe out.

Idioms: do away with, make an end of, put an end to.

9. To free from a charge or imputation of guilt:

absolve, exculpate, exonerate, vindicate.

Law: acquit, purge.

10. To pass by or over safely or successfully:

hurdle, negotiate, surmount.

11. To set right by giving what is due:

discharge, liquidate, pay (off or up), satisfy, settle, square.

12. To make as income or profit:

bring in, draw, earn, gain, gross, net, pay, produce, realize, repay, return, yield.

13. To be accepted or approved:

carry, pass.

phrasal verb
clear out

Informal. To leave hastily:

bolt, get out, run.

Informal: get, hotfoot, skedaddle.

Slang: hightail, scram, vamoose.

Idioms: beat it, hightail it, hotfoot it , make tracks.

phrasal verb
clear up

To find a solution for:

decipher, explain, resolve, solve, unravel.

Informal: dope out, figure out.

Idiom: get to the bottom of.

adverb

Informal. To the fullest extent:

absolutely, all, altogether, completely, dead, entirely, flat, fully, just, perfectly, quite, thoroughly, totally, utterly, well, wholly.

Informal: clean.

Idioms: in toto, through and through.

Translations

يُرَتِّبيَصْفو الجَويُفْسِحُ

ukliditvyjasnit se

bringe orden iklare opblive bedre

järjestää

počistiti

kitisztul

hreinsalétta/rofa til

andarsene chiarire pulire a fondo rassettare risolvere

片付ける

정돈하다

opruimen

bringe orden i letne ordne rydde opp i rydde vekk

zrobić porządek

arrumar

прибирать

städa

ทำความสะอาดจนหมด

açmak iyileşmek temizlemek toplamak

dọn dẹp

整理变好

clear

(kliə) adjective

1. easy to see through; transparent. clear glass.

2. free from mist or cloud. Isn't the sky clear!

3. easy to see, hear or understand. a clear explanation; The details on that photograph are very clear.

4. free from difficulty or obstacles. a clear road ahead.

5. free from guilt etc. a clear conscience.

6. free from doubt etc. Are you quite clear about what I mean?

7. (often with of) without (risk of) being touched, caught etc. Is the ship clear of the rocks? clear of danger.

8. (often with of) free. clear of debt; clear of all infection.

verb

1. to make or become free from obstacles etc. He cleared the table; I cleared my throat; He cleared the path of debris.

2. (often with of) to prove the innocence of; to declare to be innocent. He was cleared of all charges.

3. (of the sky etc) to become bright, free from cloud etc.

4. to get over or past something without touching it. He cleared the jump easily.

ˈclearance noun

1. the act of clearing or removing. The clearance of these trees from the front of the window will give you more light.

2. the empty space between two objects. You can drive the lorry under the bridge – there's a clearance of half a metre.

3. (a certificate) giving permission for something to be done.

ˈclearing noun

a piece of land cleared of wood etc for cultivation. a clearing in the forest.

ˈclearly adverb

ˈclearness noun

ˌclear-ˈcut adjective

having a clear outline; plain and definite. clear-cut features.

ˈclearway noun

a stretch of road on which motorists are forbidden to stop.

clear off

to go away. He cleared off without saying a word.

clear out

1. to get rid of. He cleared the rubbish out of the attic.

2. to make tidy by emptying etc. He has cleared out the attic.

clear up

1. to make clean, tidy etc. Clear up this mess!

2. to become better etc. If the weather clears up, we'll go for a picnic.

in the clear

no longer under suspicion, in danger etc.

clear up

→ يُفْسِحُ uklidit bringe orden i aufräumen τακτοποιώ ordenar järjestää ranger počistiti rassettare 片付ける 정돈하다 opruimen ordne zrobić porządek arrumar прибирать städa ทำความสะอาดจนหมด toplamak dọn dẹp 整理

References in periodicals archive ?

"Volunteers are heading out to clear up their area, speaking to others about the campaign and continuing to push the message that it is all our responsibilities to keep Renfrewshire clean.

It's in the bag... 3,100 of them; Clean-up teams fill thousands of sacks

Farmers often had to clear up at their own expense to safeguard livestock.

Time to get tough with waste crime; My land is often strewn with rubbish, says AM

GOES your heart lift at the thought of that ritual spring clean and clear up that's supposed to blow away the winter cobwebs?

What type of spring; design Gabrielle Fagan discovers that loving or hating housework may be all down to our childhood and our personality

Full browser ?

CITE

Site: Follow: Share:

Open / Close