Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To clean and tidy a house or other living space thoroughly: This phrase means to perform a comprehensive cleaning of a home, including tasks like dusting, vacuuming, mopping, and organizing.

Usage

• The phrase "clean house" is used to describe the act of performing a thorough domestic cleaning. It is an intransitive verb phrase; you do not "clean house" an object. You simply perform the activity.
• It often implies a systematic or complete cleaning, not just a quick tidy-up.

Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • I need to clean house this weekend; the place is a mess.
  • She cleans house every Saturday morning without fail.

Advanced Usage

• "to clean house" (figurative): To remove inefficiency, corruption, or unwanted elements from an organization or group.
  • The new CEO vowed to clean house and fire incompetent managers.
  • After the scandal, the political party promised to clean house.

Variants and Related Words

• Housecleaning (n): The act or process of cleaning a house. Also used figuratively.

  • She does her housecleaning on Fridays.
  • The department's housecleaning led to several resignations.

• Houseclean (v): A less common verb form meaning the same as "clean house."

  • She housecleans every week.

Synonyms

• Tidy up: To make a place neat and orderly.
• Spring-clean: To clean a house thoroughly, typically in the spring.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Clean up: To make a place clean and tidy. This can be used more broadly than "clean house."
  • Please clean up your room. (This could mean organizing toys, not necessarily mopping floors.)
  • We need to clean up the kitchen after dinner.

Related Idioms

• Clean sweep: A complete change or removal of people or things, similar to the figurative use of "clean house."
  • The election resulted in a clean sweep for the opposition party.

Verb

1. clean and tidy up the house
   • She housecleans every week