clear out

verb

cleared out; clearing out; clears out

transitive verb

: to drive out or away usually forcibly

Examples of clear out in a Sentence

police used tear gas to clear out the demonstrators everyone cleared out as soon as the fire alarm began sounding
Recent Examples on the Web Confidence: Medium Showers could linger into early Thursday morning, and skies may struggle to clear out. Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 A couple of days before a squad of Colombians joined forces with local police and two men posing as U.S. agents in a deadly attack against Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, first lady Martine Moïse went to the National Palace and spent nearly five hours clearing out her things. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2024 The store is no longer accepting appointments with new clients and is holding sales to clear out the remainder of its inventory. Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024 This mask uses detoxifying Mediterranean and Dead Sea mud to clear out pores and clarify while nourishing with aloe and jojoba oil, so the skin is not stripped of necessary moisture. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 26 Feb. 2024 Another volunteer said there’s a real sense of urgency from the city staff to clear out the shelters, but none of that is being relayed to the public. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024 Reality crashed in at the start of 2014, when employees were given two days to clear out their desks, because the company was leaving its offices in Chelsea. Jacob Bernstein, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Its garrison survived and had to be cleared out by infantry. Shashank Joshi, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 By mid-morning Tuesday, snowfall was at 1½ inches in Flint, with the snow starting to clear out there; closer to 2 inches in Lapeer and Grand Blanc, and more than a little more than 2 inches in Ann Arbor, Farmington and Howell, with more coming down. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clear out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of clear out was in 1613

Dictionary Entries Near clear out

Cite this Entry

“Clear out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clear%20out. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

clear out

verb
1
: to go or run away often suddenly or secretly
a horse broke loose and cleared out
cleared out without paying me back
2
: to drive out or away usually with force
police cleared out the demonstrators
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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