clean

clean

I. clean¹ S2 W2 /kliːn/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative cleaner, superlative cleanest)
[Word Family: noun: ↑cleaner, ↑cleaning, ↑cleanliness, ↑clean, ↑cleanser; verb: ↑clean, ↑cleanse; adverb: ↑clean, ↑cleanly; adjective: ↑clean ≠ ↑unclean]
[Language: Old English; Origin: clæne]
1. NOT DIRTY without any dirt, marks etc OPP dirty:
Are your hands clean?
clean towels
Make sure you keep the wound clean.
Wipe that sink clean when you’re done.
As usual, she left her room clean and tidy before going to school.
a spotlessly clean kitchen
I want you to get those plates as clean as a whistle.
2. PEOPLE/ANIMALS having a clean appearance and habits:
Cats are naturally clean.
3. ENVIRONMENT containing or producing nothing that is dirty or harmful ⇨ cleanly
clean air/water/energy etc
the Clean Air Act
cleaner fuels
4. FAIR OR LEGAL
a) done in a fair or legal way OPP dirty:
a clean fight
b) showing that you have followed the rules:
a clean driving licence
He’s got a clean record.
c) [not before noun] informal not hiding any weapons or illegal drugs:
They searched him, but he was clean.
d) [not before noun] no longer taking illegal drugs:
Dave’s been clean for two years now.
5. NOT OFFENSIVE talk, jokes, behaviour etc that are clean are not offensive or about sex OPP dirty:
Oh, don’t get mad – it’s just good clean fun!
Keep it clean (=do not offend people with what you say).
clean living (=a way of life which is healthy and moral)
6. come clean informal to finally tell the truth about something you have been hiding
come clean about
The government should come clean about its plans.
7. make a clean breast of it to admit that you have done something wrong so that you no longer feel guilty
8. a clean break
a complete and sudden separation from a person, organization, or situation:
Den left the next day, needing to make a clean break.
9. clean sheet/slate a record of someone’s work, behaviour, performance etc that shows they have not done anything wrong or made any mistakes:
Jed looked forward to starting life again with a clean sheet.
Lewis has kept a clean sheet in every game (=not let the other team score).
10. clean hands if a person, government, organization etc has clean hands, they have done something in a fair or legal way:
Neither side is coming to the negotiating table with completely clean hands.
11. PAPER a piece of paper that is clean has not yet been used SYN fresh
12. SMOOTH having a smooth or regular edge or surface ⇨ cleanly:
a clean cut
Use a clean simple typeface for signs.
13. 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.
14. a clean sweep
a) a very impressive victory in a competition, election etc
a clean sweep for
All the polls had pointed to a clean sweep for the Democrats.
Hopes that the French would make a clean sweep at the Games were dashed.
b) a complete change in a company or organization, often by removing people
15. TASTE having a fresh pleasant taste:
Add a little lemon juice to give the pasta a cool clean taste.
16. clean copy a piece of writing without mistakes or other marks written on it
17. MOVEMENT a clean movement in sport is skilful and exact:
He steadied his arm, hoping for a clean shot.
—cleanness noun [uncountable]
⇨ ↑clean-cut, ⇨ keep your nose clean at ↑nose¹(9)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ clean clothes He had a shower and changed into clean clothes.
▪ a clean shirt/sheet/towel etc Where are all my clean socks?
▪ clean hands Make sure you have clean hands before you eat.
■ verbs
▪ keep something clean You should always keep your kitchen clean.
▪ wipe something clean (=use a cloth to clean a surface) He started to wipe the blackboard clean.
▪ sweep/scrub something clean (=use a brush to clean something) She quickly swept the floor clean.
▪ leave something clean Please leave the apartment clean when you go.
■ adverbs
▪ spotlessly/scrupulously clean (=very clean) Hospitals must be kept scrupulously clean.
▪ squeaky clean (=completely clean) I like my hair to be squeaky clean.
■ phrases
▪ nice and clean (=clean) Their job is to keep the streets nice and clean.
▪ clean and tidy especially BrE: I insist my children keep their rooms clean and tidy.
▪ neat and clean especially AmE: Her kids were always neat and clean.
▪ clean as a whistle (=very clean) The place was clean as a whistle.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ clean without any dirt or marks: They need clean water to drink. | I don’t have any clean clothes.
▪ pure water or air that is pure does not contain any dirt, pollution, or bacteria: I breathed in the pure mountain air.
▪ sterile /ˈsteraɪl $ -rəl/ completely clean, with no bacteria, and therefore safe for medical or scientific use: Place a sterile bandage on the wound. | sterile needles
▪ spotless completely clean – used mainly about rooms and clothes: Her kitchen is always spotless.
▪ pristine /ˈprɪstiːn/ completely clean and new-looking: He wore a pristine white shirt.
▪ immaculate as clean and tidy as it is possible to be: The soldiers’ uniforms have to be immaculate.
▪ spick and span [not before noun] informal clean and tidy, especially after having just been cleaned: By the end of the day, the whole place was spick and span.