Definition

1. Verb:
   • To purge: To systematically remove, eliminate, or cleanse undesirable members, elements, or factions from an organization, political party, or group, often through expulsion, imprisonment, or execution.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nhà lãnh đạo đã thanh trừng những kẻ phản bội. (The leader purged the traitors.)
  • Cuộc thanh trừng nội bộ đã làm suy yếu đảng đó. (The internal purge weakened that party.)
  • Họ thanh trừng các phần tử bất đồng chính kiến. (They purged the dissident elements.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is most commonly used in political, military, or organizational contexts to describe a severe, often violent, consolidation of power.
• It implies an official or systematic action, not a spontaneous or individual one.

Variants and Related Words

• Sự thanh trừng (n): The act or process of purging; a purge.
  • Cuộc thanh trừng đó rất tàn khốc. (That purge was very brutal.)
• Thanh trừng nội bộ (v/n): To conduct an internal purge; an internal purge.
  • Phe cầm quyền tiến hành thanh trừng nội bộ. (The ruling faction conducted an internal purge.)

Synonyms

• Purge: To remove undesirable people.
• Eliminate: To completely remove or get rid of.
• Expel: To force someone to leave a group.
• Clean out: To remove unwanted elements (informal, less severe).

Related Idioms

• While "thanh trừng" itself is not typically part of a figurative idiom, its usage can be metaphorically extended to non-political contexts, such as in business or sports, to describe the ruthless removal of underperforming members or teams.
  • Ban lãnh đạo mới thanh trừng các nhân viên kém hiệu quả. (The new management purged the inefficient employees.)

verb

1. to purge