clean slate meaning: definition, quotations

clean slate

noun

Broadly, Figuratively A fresh start.

Near-synonyms: new leaf, new page, new canvas, new sheet; blank slate, blank canvas, tabula rasa
I paid off my debt slowly. I started contributing to my first 401(k). I learned how to read a paycheck, how to budget, how to save, and how much I could realistically afford in rent while still setting something aside. […] One year later, I returned to the city with a clean financial slate.2026 April 22, Jillian Sanders, “The Danger of Surrendering Your Financial Independence in a Relationship”, in TIME, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2026:

Nautical, Transport A slate on which the courses steered by a ship (and distances run) were recorded, but have been wiped clean after being entered in the log at the end of a watch.

Derived terms: start with a clean slate
Related terms: slatelike, wipe the slate clean