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Clean up meaning

Clean up means to make a place clean and tidy, especially after a mess. It can also mean to wash yourself and make yourself look neat.

Check yourself: 3 questions

clean something up

clean up · cleaned · cleaning

B1Separable+2 more meanings

Can you help me clean up after the party?

Clean up meanings and examples

3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1make a place clean and tidy, especially after a mess
  2. 2wash yourself and make yourself look neat
  3. 3remove pollution, crime or dishonest behaviour from a place
  1. 1

    Make a place clean and tidy, especially after a mess

    clean something up

    B1Separable

    • Can you help me clean up after the party?
    • Who’s going to clean up this mess?
    • The dog was sick, but I’ve cleaned it up.
  2. 2

    Wash yourself and make yourself look neat

    clean somebody or something up

    B2Separable

    • Go and clean yourself up before dinner.
    • He cleaned up and changed his shirt for the interview.
    • Let me clean up quickly. I’m covered in paint.
  3. 3

    Remove pollution, crime or dishonest behaviour from a place

    clean something up

    B2Separable

    • Volunteers spent a month cleaning up the river.
    • The new mayor promised to clean up the city.
    • The beach was full of plastic, so volunteers cleaned it up.
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Is clean up separable?

Clean up is separable: clean up the kitchen or clean the kitchen up. With a pronoun, the pronoun goes in the middle: clean it up. It can also have no object: I’ll clean up later.

Use clean up after someone for a mess another person made: I’m tired of cleaning up after you. The noun is clean-up (US also cleanup): a beach clean-up.

Verb tenses for clean up

PresentI clean up · she cleans up
Pastcleaned up
Present perfecthave cleaned up
-ing formcleaning up

Common mistakes with clean up

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: You spilled the juice, so clean up it.

    Right: You spilled the juice, so clean it up.

    A pronoun goes between clean and up.

  • Wrong: I always have to clean up for my brother.

    Right: I always have to clean up after my brother.

    For someone else’s mess, use clean up after.

  • Wrong: Let’s clean up the dishes.

    Right: Let’s wash up the dishes.

    For plates and cups, UK speakers say wash up; US says do the dishes.

Synonyms and opposites of clean up

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

Clean up quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1The kids painted in the kitchen, and now they have to ___.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3“The government wants to clean up the beaches.” What will it do?

Find your level

The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.

Test yourself on clean upTake the full test

Clean up FAQ

Questions people ask about clean up.

What is the difference between clean up and tidy up?

Tidy up means put things where they belong. Clean up also means remove dirt, like wiping and washing.

Is it clean-up or cleanup?

Both are used for the noun. UK English often writes clean-up; US English often writes cleanup. The verb is always two words: clean up.

What does clean up your act mean?

It is an informal way to tell someone to start behaving better: You need to clean up your act or you’ll lose the job.

Use clean up in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

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