cleanup

[ kleen-uhp ]

noun

1. the act or process of cleaning up.
2. Slang. a very large profit:

   The company made a real cleanup on their new invention.

3. Baseball.
   1. the fourth position in the batting order:

      Our best home-run hitter is batting cleanup.

   2. the player who bats in this position.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleanup¹

1865–70, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase clean up

Example Sentences

The string hit the fan in the early 2000s, when police say particularly sticky Halloween celebrations left Hollywood property owners with about $200,000 in annual cleanup and recovery costs.

From Los Angeles Times

“He showed me a lineup card in his office, and the cleanup spot was blank. He said, ‘This is where your name is going.’

From Los Angeles Times

But they were left shaken by the familiar routine of evacuation and cleanup, loss of power and gas.

From Los Angeles Times

While cleanup efforts are going to be an enormous undertaking, misinformation is proving to be almost as much of a major headache.

From Salon

She also raised money for Earth Conservation Corps, which sponsors environmental cleanup programs; co-chaired the Coalition of Gun Control; worked with various human rights organizations; and hosted fundraisers for political and other causes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acquisition
• benefit
• bottom line
• earnings
• goods
• harvest
• income
• interest
• output
• percentage
• proceeds
• product
• production
• receipt
• return
• revenue
• saving
• surplus
• turnout
• value