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Meaning & use

clear out

verb, noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌklɪər ˈaʊt/
US/ˌklɪr ˈaʊt/

Meanings

  1. verbphrasal verb

    To remove the contents of a place, or remove unwanted things from it, to make it empty or tidy.

    Grammar: Takes an object: clear out the closet, or clear it out.

    Patterns

    • clear something out
    • clear out of something

    We cleared out the garage over the weekend.

    She cleared out her desk on her last day.

    Let's clear the old clothes out before we move.

  2. verbphrasal verbinformal

    To leave a place quickly, often because someone tells you to.

    Grammar: No object; often used as a command: clear out!

    Patterns

    • clear out of somewhere

    The owner told the noisy teenagers to clear out.

    Everyone cleared out when the fire alarm sounded.

  3. nouncountableBritish

    The act of removing unwanted things from a room or house.

    Grammar: Often written clear-out and used in British English: a good clear-out.

    Patterns

    • have a clear-out

    I had a big clear-out of my wardrobe last spring.

    A clear-out of the loft gave us room for storage.

Word forms

third person singularclears out
past tensecleared out
past participlecleared out
-ing formclearing out

Common combinations

clear out the garage
We need to clear out the garage before winter.
clear out your desk
He had an hour to clear out his desk.
clear out of the way
Clear out of the way, please.
have a clear-out
I had a clear-out and gave bags of clothes to charity.
clear out the fridge
Let's clear out the fridge before our trip.

Synonyms and how they differ

declutter
Declutter focuses on removing mess to make a space neat, while clear out can mean emptying completely.
empty
Empty means making something contain nothing, while clear out suggests getting rid of unwanted items.
tidy up
Tidy up means to arrange things neatly, not necessarily remove them.
leave
Leave is neutral, while clear out is blunt and often a command.

Opposites

fill upmove in

Word family

clear verb
to remove obstacles or unwanted things
clearance noun
the removal of unwanted goods or space
clear-out noun
a tidy-up of a space
clearing noun
an open space in a forest

Commonly confused: clear out or clear up?

clear out vs clear up

Clear up means to tidy or to solve a problem, while clear out means to remove contents or leave.

Practice

We need to ___ the attic because it is full of boxes we no longer want.

Make it your own

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