clear away
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To remove items, typically to tidy a space or make an area clean: The action of taking objects away from a surface or area so that it is no longer cluttered or so that the items are out of sight.
Usage
- The verb "clear away" is used to describe the act of removing things that are no longer needed, often after an activity like eating or working. It implies tidying up.
- It is a phrasal verb and is often followed by what is being removed (e.g., clear away the dishes) or from where it is being removed (e.g., clear away from the table).
Examples
- Verb:
- Please help me clear away these papers from the desk.
- After the picnic, we cleared away all the trash.
- She cleared the toys away before the guests arrived.
Advanced Usage
- "to clear something away": The typical structure where the object (the items being removed) comes between "clear" and "away."
- Can you clear the plates away?
- "to clear away": Can be used intransitively when the context makes the object obvious.
- The party's over; it's time to clear away.
Variants and Related Words
- Clear (verb): To remove objects or obstructions from a place. (e.g., )
- Clear up (phrasal verb): To tidy and put things in order; also used for weather improving or a problem being resolved. (e.g., )
Synonyms
- Remove: To take something off or away from a position.
- Tidy away: To put things in their proper place to make an area neat.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Clear out: To remove things from a place to make it empty or tidy, often more thoroughly or permanently than "clear away."
- We need to clear out the garage.
- Clear off: To leave a place quickly (informal); or to remove things from a surface.
- He told them to clear off his property.
Related Idioms
- Clear the decks: To prepare for action by removing all unnecessary items or obstacles. (This idiom uses "clear," not the phrasal verb "clear away," but shares a similar concept of removal.)
- Let's clear the decks before we start the new project.