clear out

verb

cleared out; clearing out; clears out

intransitive verb

: depart

transitive verb

: to drive out or away usually forcibly

Synonyms

• disband
• dispel
• disperse
• dissipate
• scatter
• squander

Examples of clear out in a Sentence

police used tear gas to clear out the demonstrators

everyone cleared out as soon as the fire alarm began sounding

Recent Examples on the Web

The cause could be the leadership of Police Commissioner Jessie Tisch — who’s clearing out dead wood and, driven by data, refocusing the NYPD on its core mission. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025

Both dwellings have long since been cleared out and restored to working space. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025

The Virgo lunar eclipse on March 14th activates your money and self-worth sector, encouraging you to clear out any financial or mental clutter. —Dossé-Via Trenou, refinery29.com, 27 Feb. 2025

While clearing out her grandma’s apartment in Liverpool, Lipkin-Connor found rolls of fabric from heritage cloth merchants Dugdale Bros & Co., which had previously supplied the Abrams Brothers store. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for clear out

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

Kids Definition

clear out

verb

1

: to go or run away often suddenly or secretly

a horse broke loose and cleared out

cleared out without paying me back

2

: to drive out or away usually with force

police cleared out the demonstrators