clean out

phrasal verb

cleaned out; cleaning out; cleans out

: to remove unwanted things from (a room, closet, etc.)

We spent the weekend cleaning out the garage.

informal : to steal or take everything from (someone or something)

The thieves broke in and cleaned out the store.

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The liquor cabinet wasn’t the only thing cleaned out this year. —

Rachel McRady, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025 Making selections that ranged from classics of French Cinema to the work of David Lean, Anderson cleaned out the Criterion Closet, taking home over 10 sets, some of which feature multiple films. —

Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 25 Dec. 2024 One spot that’s focused on is the fireplace—all old ashes are cleaned out so everyone in the house can start the year off fresh. —

Chris Ciolli, AFAR Media, 23 Dec. 2024 Also, considering that 27% of house fires are caused by lint build-up in clothes dryers, cleaning out the duct at least once per year is a must. —

Ryan Barone, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for clean out