clear

- definition

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Thesaurus

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verb

/klɪə(r)/

present tense
I/you/we/they	clear
he/she/it	clears
present participle	clearing
past tense	cleared
past participle	cleared

1
[transitive] to remove people or things from a place where they are not wanted
Millions of acres of tropical forest have been cleared.
clear something from something:
Julia began to clear the dishes from the table.
clear something of something:
The ground should first be cleared of weeds.
clear a space for someone/something:
He cleared a space on his desk for a cup of coffee.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
1. a.
  [intransitive] if a place clears, the people in it leave it
  The room cleared quickly after the final speeches.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
2
[transitive] to remove something that is blocking a place such as a road or passage
The police cleared a way through to the front of the building.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
1. a.
  [intransitive] to stop being blocked
  Eventually the roads cleared and the traffic began to flow again.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
3
[transitive] [usually passive] to prove officially that someone did not do something wrong
be cleared of something:
The two men were cleared of murder yesterday.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
4
[intransitive] if the sky or the weather clears, the weather becomes brighter and there are no more clouds, rain etc
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
5
[intransitive] if something such as smoke clears, it starts to disappear
They waited while the mist cleared a little.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
6
[intransitive] if a liquid clears, it becomes transparent after being filled with extremely small pieces of a substance
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
7
[intransitive] if your skin clears, it starts to become smooth and healthy again
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
8
[intransitive] if someone’s face clears, they stop looking annoyed, upset, or confused
She frowned for a moment, then her brow cleared.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
9
[intransitive/transitive] if your mind or head clears, or if it is cleared, it stops being confused, tired, or affected by something such as alcohol
clear something of something:
Clear your mind of all negative thoughts.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
10
[transitive] to go over, under, or past an object without touching it
One horse failed to clear the gate and was injured.
clear something by 2 metres/ 6 inches etc:
The aircraft cleared the houses by only a few metres.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
11
[intransitive/transitive] if a cheque clears, or if a bank clears it, the bank allows the money to be used
How long will the cheque take to clear?
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
12
[transitive] to give or obtain official permission for something to happen
clear something with someone:
You’ll have to clear this project with head office.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
1. a.
  to give a plane, ship, or person permission to enter or leave a place
  clear something for something:
  After half an hour the plane was cleared for take-off.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
2. b.
  to obtain permission to enter a country or take something into a country after being checked by officials
  clear immigration/customs/passport control:
  Delays are often reported by passengers waiting to clear customs.
  clear something through customs:
  Someone from the embassy helped us to clear our baggage through customs.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
13
[transitive] to pay back all of the money that you owe to the person you borrowed it from
clear a debt:
Try to clear your existing debts first.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
14
[transitive] informal to earn a particular amount of money after paying taxes, charges, or costs
He clears about £500 a week.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
15
[transitive] to deal successfully with a problem
clear an obstacle:
The company has cleared the main obstacle to concluding the sale.
clear a hurdle:
The first hurdle to clear is persuading investors of the merits of the product.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
16
[transitive] to do all the work that you have to do
clear a backlog:
Extra staff have had to be brought in to clear the backlog.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
17
[intransitive/transitive] if you clear a ball, or if it clears in a game such as football, you succeed in kicking or hitting it away from your goal
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear

phrases

clear the air
to discuss a problem or difficult situation with someone in order to make it better
I think it’s time we cleared the air, don’t you?
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
clear the decks
to get rid of everything that is not needed, or to deal with everything that needs to be done so that you can start doing something more important
The Government has cleared the decks for an early general election.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
clear your desk
British
to get rid of everything from your desk because you are leaving your job, often because you have been asked to leave
She was told to clear her desk.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
clear someone’s name
to prove that someone did not do something that they were accused of
The men say they have been falsely accused and are determined to clear their names.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
clear your throat
to make a noise in your throat before you speak, so that you can speak without any difficulty
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear
clear the way/ground for something
to do what needs to be done so that something can happen without any problems
The new law cleared the way for polytechnics to become universities.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of clear

phrasal verbs

showmance

a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series

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a thick, wet, unpleasant substance that covers something

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able to be read and understood by people

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clear

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phrases

clear the air

clear the decks

clear your desk

clear someone’s name

clear your throat

clear the way/ground for something

phrasal verbs

showmance

Word of the Day

slime

human-readable