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

This indecisive time period is perfect for cleaning out your closet. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2025

Its 100 minutes of battery life also give you enough to clean out spaces of up to 1,200 feet in one go. —Ho Lin, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025

According to the actor, Augustus has helped out by cleaning out stalls and taking horses for walks. —Katie Mannion, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025

But once the destruction is cleaned out, with unexploded ordinance removed, terror tunnels destroyed, and rubble cleared, the opportunities are boundless. —David Friedman, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for clean out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout