cleaning

[ klee-ning ]

noun

1. an act or instance of making clean:

   Give the house a good cleaning.

2. Slang. an overwhelming or complete defeat, financial loss, or failure:

   Our team took a cleaning in yesterday's game.

3. Informal. killing ( def 3 ).

Other Words From

• self-cleaning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleaning¹

First recorded in 1655–75; clean + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The way Musk and Ramaswamy have been talking, they clearly have the idea that they’ll be cleaning house from Day 1 onward—just like Musk did when he bought Twitter in late 2022, brought his friends and cronies on as consultants for cost cuts, ousted the company’s executives, and went on to lay off thousands more staffers.

From Slate

“And that’s why they voted for something different. … For me, it’s equity. In the neighborhoods that are primarily Latino, why are they the most underserved with city services — a.k.a. Boyle Heights? The lights are all out on First Street. There’s no street cleaning. No parking.”

From Los Angeles Times

They corrected a lot of their defensive issues, sprinting back in transition and cleaning up Memphis misses off the glass.

From Los Angeles Times

She said homelessness, public safety and cleaning the streets and sidewalks would be her priorities for the next four years.

From Los Angeles Times

His cleaning crew was sweeping up litter from the street while their boss talked and talked and talked.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• purification
• sanitation
• sterilization
• washing