Cleanup

/ˈkliːnʌp/

nounBeginner📊CommonGeneral
2 meanings1 question

Definitions

2 meanings
1

The process of removing dirt, mess, or disorder from a place or thing.

/ˈkliːnʌp/

nounneutralBeginner
General

The act of cleaning something thoroughly.

The cleanup after the party took hours.

💡 Simply: Imagine your room is a total mess. A cleanup is when you tidy everything up, making it nice and neat again. Like cleaning up after a party or cleaning up spilled milk.

👶 For kids: Making something messy become clean again.

More Examples

2

There will be a cleanup crew dealing with the disaster.

How It's Used

Household

"The spring cleanup took the whole afternoon."

Environmental

"The oil spill cleanup was a massive undertaking."

2

To remove dirt, mess, or disorder from a place or thing.

/ˈkliːnʌp/

verbneutralBeginner
General

To clean something thoroughly.

Let's cleanup the kitchen.

💡 Simply: To make something clean and organized. Like cleaning up your toys or cleaning up spilled juice.

👶 For kids: To make something clean.

More Examples

2

They cleanup the streets after the parade.

How It's Used

Household

"I need to cleanup my desk."

Workplace

"We cleanup the lab after each experiment."

Tip:Imagine cleaning up a spill – you're cleaning up.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Compound of "clean" and "up", reflecting its meaning of making something clean thoroughly.

The term has evolved from simply cleaning to encompass larger-scale operations.

Memory tip

Think of cleaning up a mess – that's a cleanup!

Word Origin

Original meaning

"Combination of 'clean' (to make free from dirt or impurities) and 'up' (thoroughly; completely)."

cleanup crewspring cleanupcleanup operation

Common misspellings

clean upclean-up

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written