Clear up meaning
Clear up means to become sunny or dry after clouds or rain. It can also mean to explain or solve a problem or misunderstanding.
clear up
clear up · cleared · clearing
It’s raining now, but it should clear up by lunch.
Clear up meanings and examples
4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Become sunny or dry after clouds or rain
clear up
- It’s raining now, but it should clear up by lunch.
- The sky cleared up just in time for the picnic.
- If the weather doesn’t clear up, we’ll stay in.
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2
Explain or solve a problem or misunderstanding
clear something up
- A quick phone call cleared up the confusion.
- Can you clear up one thing for me?
- There’s a mistake on my bill. I hope they clear it up soon.
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3
Make a place tidy by putting things away or throwing them out
clear something up
- I’ll cook if you clear up afterwards.
- We cleared up the garden before the guests came.
- Have you cleared your desk up yet?
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4
Go away, used for an illness or skin problem
clear up
- My rash cleared up after a few days.
- Has your cough cleared up yet?
- This cream will help the spots clear up.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use clear up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is clear up separable?
For weather and illness, clear up has no object: The sky cleared up. For problems and tidying, it is separable: clear up the mess, clear it up.
The tidy meaning is mostly UK English; US English says clean up. Clear things up is a common way to say make things clear after a misunderstanding.
Verb tenses for clear up
| Present | I clear up · she clears up |
|---|---|
| Past | cleared up |
| Present perfect | have cleared up |
| -ing form | clearing up |
Common mistakes with clear up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I hope it will clear up the weather tomorrow.
Right: I hope the weather will clear up tomorrow.
For weather, the weather or it is the subject, with no object.
Wrong: We need to talk to clear up it.
Right: We need to talk to clear it up.
A pronoun goes between clear and up.
Wrong: Please clear up the table for dinner.
Right: Please clear the table for dinner.
To take plates off a table, just say clear the table.
Synonyms and opposites of clear up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- clean upmake a place clean; US English also uses it for tidying
- sort outsolve a problem or put things in order
- brighten upweather becomes sunnier
Opposite
- cloud overthe sky becomes covered with clouds
- mix upconfuse two things; a mix-up is a misunderstanding
Clear up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1It was raining in the morning, but it ___ in the afternoon.
The weather clears up when the rain and clouds go.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes in the middle: cleared it up.
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3“The doctor said the infection will clear up in a week.” What will happen?
An illness clears up when it goes away.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Clear up FAQ
Questions people ask about clear up.
What is the difference between clear up and clean up?
Both can mean tidy a place. Clean up also means remove dirt. Only clear up is used for weather and for explaining a misunderstanding.
What does let me clear something up mean?
It means let me explain so there is no confusion: Let me clear something up. I didn’t say you were wrong.
Is clear up British?
The weather, illness and explain meanings are used everywhere. The tidy meaning is mostly British.
Use clear 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.