clean

1 /kli:n/ adjective

1 WITHOUT DIRT without any dirt or marks: Are your hands clean? | a clean towel | sweep/scrub etc sth clean: Wipe that sink clean when you're done. | clean and tidy/neat: Try to keep your room clean and tidy. | spotlessly clean (=very clean): a spotlessly clean kitchen

2 HABITS/APPEARANCE behaving in a way that keeps things clean or having a clean appearance: Cats are wonderfully clean creatures.

3 AIR/WATER containing nothing that is dirty or harmful, such as poisons: Smell that clean air!

4 FAIR/LEGAL

a) done in a fair or legal way: a clean fight

b) showing that you have followed the rules or the law: a clean driving licence | Well, she has a clean record. (=she is not a criminal)

5 JOKES/HUMOUR not offensive or not dealing with sex: good, clean fun: Oh, don't get mad - it was just good, clean fun! | keep it clean (=used to tell someone not to do or say anything morally offensive) | clean living (=a way of life in which you do not drink, take drugs, or behave in an immoral way)

6 make a clean breast of it to admit that you have done something wrong so that you no longer feel guilty

7 a clean break

a) a quick sudden separation from a person, organization, place etc: Den left the next day, needing to make a clean break.

b) a break in a bone or other object that is complete and has not left any small pieces

8 SMOOTH having a smooth or regular edge or surface: a clean cut

9 come clean informal to finally tell the truth or admit that you have done something wrong

(+ about): It's time you came clean about your affair.

10 a clean sheet/slate a situation that shows that someone has behaved well or not made any mistakes: Jed looked forward to starting life again with a clean sheet.

11 a clean bill of health a report that says you are healthy or that a machine or building is safe: Inspectors gave the factory a clean bill of health.

12 a clean sweep

a) a complete change in a company or organization, made by getting rid of people

b) a victory in all parts of a game or competition, especially by winning the first three places: The 200m race was a clean sweep for France.

13 PAPER a piece of paper that is clean has not yet been used

14 a clean copy a piece of writing that contains no mistakes

15 WITHOUT WEAPONS/DRUGS (not before noun) slang not having any hidden weapons or illegal drugs: They searched him at the airport, but he was clean.

16 NOT HAVING DRUGS (not before noun) no longer taking illegal drugs: Dave's been clean for two years now.

17 POWER/ENERGY producing energy or power without causing pollution: clean energy (=energy that is produced safely)

18 MOVEMENT a clean movement in sport is skilful and exact

19 as clean as a new pin BrE as clean as a whistle very clean

-see also: cleanly, clean-cut, keep your nose clean nose 1 (13) - cleanness noun (U) 2 verb

1 (I, T) to remove dirt from something by rubbing or washing: Your shoes need cleaning.

-see also: dry-clean, spring-clean

2 (I) to clean a building or other people's houses as your job: Anne comes in to clean twice a week.

3 (T) to cut out the inside parts of an animal or bird that you are going to cook

4 clean your plate to eat all your food

clean sb/sth out phrasal verb (T)

1 (clean something out) to make the inside of a room, house etc clean or tidy: We'd better clean out the attic this week.

2 (clean someone/something out) informal to steal everything from a place or all someone's possessions: Burglars completely cleaned the place out.

3 (clean someone out) informal if something expensive cleans someone out, they spend all their money on it so that they have none left: The Paris trip cleaned us out.

clean up phrasal verb

1 (I, T) to make something completely clean and tidy: We spent all Saturday morning cleaning up. | a plan to clean up the bay

2 (I, T) to wash yourself after you have got very dirty: clean sb/yourself up: Let me just go clean myself up. | get cleaned up: Dad's upstairs getting cleaned up.

3 clean up your act informal to start behaving in a responsible way: If you don't clean up your act I'll kick you out.

4 (I) informal to win a lot of money or make a lot of money in a business deal: We really cleaned up at the races today!

5 (transitive clean something up) to improve moral standards in a place or organization: It's high time British soccer cleaned up its image.

-see also: clean-up 3 adverb informal used to emphasize the fact that an action or movement takes place completely and thoroughly: clean away/through/past: The robbers got clean away. | The knife went clean through his finger. | clean forget (=forget completely): Sorry, I clean forgot your birthday. 4 noun (singular) a process in which you clean something: The car needs a good clean.