clean out
phrasal verb
cleaned out; cleaning out; cleans out
1
: to remove unwanted things from (a room, closet, etc.)
We spent the weekend cleaning out the garage.
2
informal
: to steal or take everything from (someone or something)
The thieves broke in and cleaned out the store.
3
informal
: to use up all or most of the money of (someone)
Buying the house really cleaned us out. Now we're broke.
Examples of clean out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After years working abroad in Spain, a taciturn young man returns to his village in rural Bulgaria to clean out his late father’s flat.
—
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
Every year, Indigenous people set small low-intensity fires to manage the landscape and clean out low-lying brush — a process that magnified the yield of their plants for medicine and craft-making.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Keller superintendent Tracy Johnson has cleaned out her office ahead of a vote on a voluntary separation agreement with the district, according to a school board member.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2025
That seed found fertile ground in an unlikely place: a worn Java programming book discovered while cleaning out a closet during his rehabilitation program.
—Omaid Homayun, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for clean out 
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Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
Every year, Indigenous people set small low-intensity fires to manage the landscape and clean out low-lying brush — a process that magnified the yield of their plants for medicine and craft-making.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Keller superintendent Tracy Johnson has cleaned out her office ahead of a vote on a voluntary separation agreement with the district, according to a school board member.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2025
That seed found fertile ground in an unlikely place: a worn Java programming book discovered while cleaning out a closet during his rehabilitation program.
—Omaid Homayun, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for clean out
Dictionary Entries Near clean out
Cite this Entry
“Clean out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clean%20out. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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