Meaning & use
stay clean
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
To continue to avoid taking illegal drugs or drinking alcohol after a period of addiction.
Grammar: No object: He has stayed clean for two years. Often used with 'for' + period of time.
Patterns
- stay clean for a period of time
- stay clean from something
After leaving rehab, he managed to stay clean for three years.
She goes to a support group to help her stay clean.
It's hard to stay clean when all your friends are using.
verbintransitive
To keep yourself or something free from dirt or mess.
Grammar: No object; often used for people or animals, e.g., 'The children stayed clean all afternoon.' For objects, you usually say 'keep something clean'.
Patterns
- stay clean
- stay clean and dry
The kids somehow managed to stay clean while playing in the garden.
Wear an apron to stay clean while cooking.
The white sofa stayed clean because we never ate on it.
Common combinations
- stay clean for a year
- She has stayed clean for a year now.
- stay clean from drugs
- He is determined to stay clean from drugs.
- help someone stay clean
- The program helps people stay clean after treatment.
- stay clean and sober
- He attends meetings to stay clean and sober.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stay sober
- Focuses specifically on not drinking alcohol; 'stay clean' can also include other drugs.
- remain drug-free
- More formal and often used in medical or official contexts.
Opposites
Commonly confused: stay clean or clean up?
stay clean vs clean up
To 'clean up' means to make something tidy or to stop using drugs; 'stay clean' means to continue not using.
Practice
After years of addiction, he finally managed to ______ clean.
Choose one answer.
'Stay clean' is the fixed phrase meaning to continue avoiding drugs or alcohol. 'Keep clean' is possible for objects but less common for people in this context; 'make clean' and 'do clean' are not used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stay clean”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.