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Meaning & use

cleaning up

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌkliːnɪŋ ˈʌp/
US/ˌkliːnɪŋ ˈʌp/

Meanings

  1. phraseuncountable

    The act of making a place or situation tidy and free from dirt, mess, or problems.

    Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; often follows 'the' or a possessive, e.g. 'the cleaning up after the party'.

    Patterns

    • the cleaning up of something
    • cleaning up after someone

    The cleaning up after the festival took three days.

    She is responsible for the cleaning up of the kitchen every evening.

  2. phraseuncountabletechnical

    The process of removing pollution, waste, or harmful substances from an area.

    Grammar: Often used in environmental contexts, e.g. 'the cleaning up of the river'.

    Patterns

    • the cleaning up of a river
    • environmental cleaning up

    The cleaning up of the oil spill cost millions.

    Local volunteers are helping with the cleaning up of the beach.

  3. phraseuncountablefigurative

    The act of making a person or organization free from corruption or bad behavior.

    Grammar: Often used in political or business contexts, e.g. 'the cleaning up of the police force'.

    Patterns

    • the cleaning up of an organization
    • cleaning up politics

    The cleaning up of the banking system is a slow process.

    The new mayor promised the cleaning up of city hall.

Common combinations

cleaning up after
The cleaning up after the party took hours.
cleaning up the mess
He spent the morning cleaning up the mess in the garage.
cleaning up the environment
The government has launched a campaign for cleaning up the environment.
cleaning up your act
After the scandal, he promised to start cleaning up his act.

Synonyms and how they differ

tidy up
Focuses on making things neat and orderly, while 'cleaning up' often implies removing dirt or mess.
clear up
Often used for solving a problem or explaining something, not just physical cleaning.

Opposites

mess updirty

Word family

clean verb
To remove dirt or mess from something.
cleanup noun
An act of removing dirt or solving a problem.

Commonly confused: cleaning up or clean up?

cleaning up vs clean up

The base form of the phrasal verb; 'cleaning up' is the -ing form or noun phrase.

Practice

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