clean
clean Lexical Profile
clean Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Free from dirt, marks, stains, or unwanted matter; unsoiled.
"Please make sure your hands are clean before sitting down to dinner."
Free from pollutants, contaminants, or harmful substances; pure.
"Access to clean drinking water is essential for public health around the globe."
Morally unblemished, honorable, or free from record of offense, wrongdoing, or substance abuse.
"The candidate maintained a clean record throughout her twenty years in public service."
Having a smooth, sharp, regular, or well-proportioned edge, outline, or execution without roughness or awkwardness.
"The modern building is admired for its clean lines and minimalist geometric design."
• verb
To make something or someone free of dirt, marks, mess, or unwanted matter, especially by washing, wiping, or brushing.
"We spent Saturday morning helping to clean the community park after the festival."
To remove the internal organs, scales, or inedible parts from fish, poultry, or game in preparation for cooking.
"The fisherman showed us how to scale and clean the trout by the riverbank."
• adverb
Completely, thoroughly, or altogether (used for emphasis).
"In the rush to catch the morning train, I clean forgot to pack my umbrella."
In a clean, fair, or honorable manner.
"The coach reminded both teams to play clean and respect the referee's decisions."
• noun
An act or instance of cleaning something.
"The kitchen needs a thorough clean before the guests arrive this weekend."
A weightlifting movement in which a barbell is raised from the floor to shoulder height in a single fluid motion, often forming the first stage of the clean and jerk.
"She perfected her form on the clean before attempting the overhead jerk."
• Rhymes for clean
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English clæne ('free from dirt, clear, pure, innocent'), derived from Proto-Germanic *klainiz ('shining, fine, pure'). It is cognate with German klein, which underwent a semantic shift from 'fine or delicate' to 'small'.