Etymology From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English clǣne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with Scots clean (“absolute, pure, clear, empty”) and clene, clane (“clean”), North Frisian klien (“small”), West Frisian klien (“small”), klean (“clean”), Dutch klein (“small”), Low German kleen (“small”), German klein (“small”), Swedish klen (“weak, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”).
Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled.
Are these dishes clean? Your room is finally clean! For a baby, happiness is a full bottle and a clean diaper.
Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter II, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC:
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Very fine, well-sorted, clean sand with no shells.1964, Coastal Engineering Research Center (U.S.), Technical Memorandum - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal Engineering Research Center, page 69:
Scientists believe they have identified the world’s cleanest air, free from particles caused by human activity, located over the Southern Ocean, which surrounds Antarctica.2020 June 2, Amy Woodyatt, “Scientists say they have found the cleanest air on Earth”, in CNN:
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Of metal, having relatively few impurities.
clean steel
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Free of contamination, (unwanted) germs, infection, or disease.
Insert a clean swab into your nose.
"Serious as cognitohazard." Lillihammer danced down the corridor towards them, doing little pirouettes and leaping from toe to toe. "Reuben Wirth no longer exists. Gonna have to get Forsythe to do that brain scan to make sure I'm clean, but otherwise yeah. Poof."2023 October 14, HarryBlank, “Face Time”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 23 May 2024:
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Devoid of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
I want to make sure my fiancé is clean before we are married.
Climbing, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Of a route, ascended without falling.
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Free from that which is useless or injurious; without defects.
clean land
clean timber
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In an unmarked condition; blank.
Put a clean sheet of paper into the printer.
› Free of immorality or criminality.
9
Pure, especially morally or religiously.
Our kids can watch this movie because it is clean.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 51:10:
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Ah! let me knot be fool'd, sweet saints. I trust / That I am whole, and clean, and meet for Heaven.1833 (date written), Alfred Tennyson, “St. Simeon Stylites”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 63:
I do not think there is any member in this House who will not agree that that is the clean thing to do. Any member sitting on the Government benches will admit in private that that is the proper course for members who break faith.1914, Parliamentary Debates, volume 168, New Zealand, page 195:
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Not using drugs or alcohol.
go clean
I've been clean this time for eight months.
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Ten months sober, I must admit Just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it Ten months older, I won't give in Now that I'm clean, I'm never gonna risk it2014 October 27, Taylor Swift, Imogen Heap, “Clean (Taylor's Version)”, in 1989 (Taylor's Version), performed by Taylor Swift, published 27 October 2023:
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Free from (or showing no signs of) corrupt, unlawful, and/or sinister conduct or connections (and (of criminal, driving, etc. records) therefore without restrictions or penalties).
It was my dream to be a Soviet spy. The vetting process started, and I was “clean”: no Jews in either my background or my wife's, no relatives abroad, already a member of the Soviet Communist Party, high marks on exams, three foreign languages, no dissident inclinations[…]2009 May 26, John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr, Alexander Vassiliev, Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America, Yale University Press, →ISBN:
"If the Tramells hadn't passed away, we still wouldn't know. The background check was clean." "How can it be clean, for fuck's sake?" I knocked back the whiskey in one swallow. "Eva's mother used Monica's name, birthdate, and family history, but she never opened a line of credit, which is how most identity theft is discovered."2016 April 5, Sylvia Day, One with You, St. Martin's Griffin, →ISBN:
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Unlike you, I’ve never caused any accidents — my record is still clean!
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Informal Not in possession of weapons or contraband such as drugs.
I'm clean, officer. You can go ahead and search me if you want.
Free of infiltration by covert listening or recording devices (bugs), enemy spies, etc.
We are currently clean on OPSEC.
"[Are you sure the] room is clean?" "As a whistle. It's swept at irregular intervals every week." "That still leaves time to plant a bug[…]"1989, Gayle Rivers, The Killing House, Jove Books, →ISBN:
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Empty.
The cargo hold is clean.
Mister, I want to see a clean dinner plate or there'll be no dessert for you.
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Smooth, exact, and performed well.
I'll need a sharper knife to make clean cuts.
a clean leap over a fence
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a clean left-footed shot into the top corner of the goal
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That does not damage the environment (as much as some alternative).
clean energy
clean coal
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clean tourism
In a press release, CARB expanded on their decision. "The LCFS reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by setting a declining carbon intensity target for transportation fuels used in California; producers that don't meet established benchmarks buy credits from those that do. This system has generated $4 billion in annual private sector investment toward a cleaner transportation sector."2024 November 8, Luz Pena, “California's gas prices could have major increase with passing of new fuel standards”, in ABC7 News:
Wow, dude, those are some clean shoes ya got there!
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Utter, complete, total; pure; free from restraint.
a clean sweep
When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of corners of thy field.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Leviticus 23:22:
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The clean thrill of getting the right answer gave me a sense of efficacy and rootedness. Even so, on tests at school I rarely got good grades, because I had a terrible habit of not showing my work.2023 July 18, Arianne Shahvisi, Arguing for a Better World: How Philosophy Can Help Us Fight for Social Justice, Penguin, →ISBN, page 1:
Etymology From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English clǣne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with Scots clean (“absolute, pure, clear, empty”) and clene, clane (“clean”), North Frisian klien (“small”), West Frisian klien (“small”), klean (“clean”), Dutch klein (“small”), Low German kleen (“small”), German klein (“small”), Swedish klen (“weak, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”).
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A removal of dirt.
This place needs a clean.
Give the pan a thorough clean.
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Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports, Weightlifting The first part of the event clean and jerk in which the weight is brought from the ground to the shoulders.
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, MusicIn plural Of heavy metal, clear vocals, contrasted with death growls and screams.
When people complained the songs were too hard, Kyle's clean vocals could bail out the band. Adding cleans would set off a chain reaction though - Kyle's crisp, clear presence could be seen as "betraying" the raw assault that Mike inflicts on the fans with his screams and growls.2014, T/James Reagan, Leeds House, Amazon Digital Services LLC, →ISBN, page 314:
Vocalist Kaan is impeccable in his performance engaging with the crowd and soulfully executing both searing screams and hauntingly melodic cleans.2016, Jay Shields, “Tech Fest 2016”, in Fraser Mutch, editor, Elite Online Mag, number 78, page 155:
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The band's more recent output has seen a small amount of cleans find their way in, but for the most part, the Pennsylvania boys rely on the kind of devastating vocal delivery that can be heard on monumental career highlights such as "Marianas Trench."2023 April 17, Jake Richardson, “10 Best Clean Singers in Metalcore”, in Loudwire, archived from the original on 17 Aug 2024:
Etymology From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English clǣne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with Scots clean (“absolute, pure, clear, empty”) and clene, clane (“clean”), North Frisian klien (“small”), West Frisian klien (“small”), klean (“clean”), Dutch klein (“small”), Low German kleen (“small”), German klein (“small”), Swedish klen (“weak, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”).
She just likes to clean. That’s why I married her.
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Climbing, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To remove equipment from a climbing route after it was previously lead climbed.
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences To remove unnecessary files, etc. from (a directory, etc.).
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Ball games, Curling, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To brush the ice lightly in front of a moving rock to remove any debris and ensure a correct line; less vigorous than a sweep.
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MangaSlang To purge a raw of any blemishes caused by the scanning process such as brown tinting and poor color contrast.
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Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports, Weightlifting To lift a weight from the ground to one's shoulders.
Mike Aidala grunts as he cleans and presses 300 pounds up from the floor of his garage.2026, Greg Presto, “Timeless Gains”, in Men's Health, volume 41, number 2, page 14:
Etymology From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English clǣne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with Scots clean (“absolute, pure, clear, empty”) and clene, clane (“clean”), North Frisian klien (“small”), West Frisian klien (“small”), klean (“clean”), Dutch klein (“small”), Low German kleen (“small”), German klein (“small”), Swedish klen (“weak, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”).
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Fully and completely.
He was stabbed clean through.
You must be clean mad.
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The wave went clean over the old lighthouse.
Moreover, I find there are some Words now in French which are turned to a Countersense […] Cocu is taken for one whose Wife is light, and hath made him a passive Cuckold; whereas clean contrary, Cocu, which is the Cuckow, doth use to lay her Eggs in another Bird's Nest.1655, James Howell, “To the Right Honourable the Earl of Clare”, in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ. Familiar Letters Domestic and Forren. […], 3rd edition, volume (please specify the page), London: […] Humphrey Mos[e]ley, […], →OCLC:
So, since all my pains in his direction were clean thrown away, there was nothing left for me but to scurry back to Marjorie, — so I scurried, and I found the house empty, no one there, and Marjorie gone.1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle:
It strikes me that you have come off uncommonly easy, seeing as how things were. No mess, no breakages, no odds and ends from every room that you can't remember until it's too late to claim. Just one big lot taken clean.1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
Derived terms
clean-shaven, the arse has gone clean out of 'er, the arse is clean out of 'er