clean out

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Definition
  1. Verb (transitive):
    • To deprive completely of money or goods; to empty of contents, especially valuables or money: This meaning emphasizes removing everything, often leaving nothing behind, typically in a forceful, thorough, or financially draining manner.
    • To force out; to remove people from a place or organization, often to get rid of unwanted elements: This meaning focuses on ejecting or dismissing people, such as employees or occupants.
    • To empty something completely; to remove all contents from a container or space for cleaning or organizing: This is the most literal meaning, referring to the physical act of removing everything from a defined area.
Usage Examples
  • Deprive of money/goods:
    • The casino trip completely cleaned me out; I don't have a dollar left.
    • The burglars cleaned out the safe and all the jewelry boxes.
  • Force out people:
    • The new manager promised to clean out the incompetent staff.
    • The police cleaned out the illegal operation from the warehouse.
  • Empty completely (for cleaning/organizing):
    • I need to clean out the garage this weekend; it's full of old boxes.
    • She cleaned out her purse and found her lost keys at the bottom.
Advanced Usage
  • "to be cleaned out": This passive form is commonly used to describe a state of having been completely deprived of money or possessions.
    • After paying for the car repairs, I was completely cleaned out.
  • The phrasal verb often carries a connotation of thoroughness and finality, whether applied to finances, people, or objects.
Variants and Related Words
  • Cleanout (noun): An instance of cleaning out or an access point for cleaning (e.g., a pipe cleanout).
    • The plumber used the cleanout to clear the blockage.
  • Cleaning (noun/gerund): The general activity of making something clean.
  • Empty (verb): A more general synonym for removing contents.
Synonyms
  • Deplete: To use up the supply or resources of.
  • Strip: To remove everything from.
  • Purge: To remove unwanted people or things, often from a group or place.
  • Clear out: Very similar in meaning, often interchangeable in the "empty completely" sense.
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Clean up: To make clean and tidy; also can mean to make a large profit.
    • Please clean up your room. (Tidy)
    • The company cleaned up with their new product. (Profited)
  • Clear out: To leave a place quickly; or to remove things to make a space empty/tidy.
    • We had to clear out of the building during the fire drill. (Leave)
    • He cleared out his desk when he quit. (Emptied)
Related Idioms
  • "Clean someone out of house and home": To consume all of someone's food and resources.
    • My teenage sons will clean me out of house and home if I don't go grocery shopping soon.
  • "Clean sweep": A complete change or removal of all people or things.
    • The election resulted in a clean sweep for the new party.
Verb
  1. deprive completely of money or goods
    • The robbers cleaned us out in a couple of hours
  2. force out
    • The new boss cleaned out the lazy workers
  3. empty completely
    • We cleaned out all the drawers

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