Skip to the word

Added 8 October 2026

clean

/kliːn/ adjective

In Latin: pūrus, mundus, tersus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about clean at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled.
Are these dishes clean? Your room is finally clean!For a baby, happiness is a full bottle and a clean diaper.
Of metal, having relatively few impurities.
clean steel
Not muscular due to steroid use.
I don't think he's clean, look at those traps.

noun

A removal of dirt.
This place needs a clean.
The first part of the event clean and jerk in which the weight is brought from the ground to the shoulders.
Of heavy metal, clear vocals, contrasted with death growls and screams.

verb

To remove dirt from a place or object.
Can you clean the windows today?
To tidy up, make a place neat.
Clean your room right now!
To make things clean in general.
She just likes to clean. That’s why I married her.

adverb

Fully and completely.
He was stabbed clean through.

Origin

From Middle English clene, from Old English clāne, clǣne (“clean; pure; clear”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“dainty, fine, small; clean”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word