cleanup

1 of 3

noun

clean·​up ˈklēn-ˌəp 

1

: an act or instance of cleaning

The children helped with the cleanup.

2

: an exceptionally large profit

made a cleanup [=killing] when he sold his stocks

cleanup

2 of 3

adjective

: being in the fourth position in the batting order of a baseball team

a cleanup hitter

cleanup adverb

clean up

3 of 3

verb

cleaned up; cleaning up; cleans up

intransitive verb

1

: to make a spectacular profit in a business enterprise or a killing in speculation or gambling

2

: to become free of drug or alcohol addiction

I always cleaned up for tours. … By the end of the tour, I'm perfectly clean and should have stayed sober.

—Keith Richards

Examples of cleanup in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Yet the city of San Diego had to spend its own money on the cleanup itself. —Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

Most trails in the park will be closed during the hunt, but many are already closed as cleanup from tornadoes on May 26 continues. —Flip Putthoff, arkansasonline.com, 5 Nov. 2024

Adjective

The event includes two cleanup opportunities: picking up trash on Piney Road or helping with trail clearing and maintenance related to damage from tornadoes that hit Benton County over Memorial Day weekend. —Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 16 Oct. 2024

The rule further gave public water suppliers and other institutions like the military until 2027 to determine the level of PFAS contamination in their systems and until 2029 to initiate cleanup operations. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Sep. 2024

Verb

Both candidates criticized Watson’s leadership and said they were equipped to clean up the administration of the Maricopa County Regional School District. —Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

Robyn is trying to clean up her act but can’t resist indulging Sharon’s long-repressed wild side. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

see clean entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1872, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1912, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cleanup

noun

clean·​up

ˈklē-ˌnəp

: an act or instance of cleaning

helped with the cleanup after the meal