clean up
2 meanings
make a place clean by removing dirt or mess
What does "clean up" mean in this sense?
Examples
- Can you clean up the kitchen before the guests arrive?
- The oil spill was cleaned up by a specialist team.
- There's a huge mess in here — who's going to clean it up?
How to use it
The most common pattern — use it when the object is a noun phrase referring to a place or a mess.
We spent the whole morning cleaning up the kitchen after the party.
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'clean' and 'up'.
The dog knocked over the bin — can you clean it up, please?
Short noun objects can also go in the middle, between the verb and particle.
She grabbed a cloth and cleaned the spill up straight away.
You can use 'clean up' without an object when the context makes it clear what you are cleaning.
The guests are arriving at seven, so we need to clean up before then.
The passive form is natural, especially in news or official contexts about pollution or accidents.
The contaminated river was cleaned up by environmental workers over several months.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
When the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must go between 'clean' and 'up'. Putting the pronoun after 'up' is ungrammatical.
'Tidy up' means to put things in order and organise a space, while 'clean up' means to remove actual dirt or mess. You would not use 'tidy up' for a spill, pollution, or any real physical mess.
Usage
Used in everyday situations (cleaning a room) and serious contexts (environmental disasters) — both are equally natural. The noun form 'cleanup' is also very common: 'The cleanup took three days.'
remove illegal, dishonest, or harmful activity from a place or organisation
Sense 2: What does "clean sth up" mean?
Examples
- The network told the comedian to clean up his material before the broadcast.
- She cleaned her online profile up after applying for the job.
- The new manager was brought in to clean up the team's reputation.
How to use it
The most common pattern — use with an abstract object like language, content, image, or reputation.
The league is under pressure to clean up its drug-testing procedures.
When the object is a short noun phrase, it can appear between the verb and particle.
The producers cleaned the script up before submitting it for certification.
Pronoun objects must always go between the verb and particle, never after 'up'.
The lyrics were too controversial, so the band cleaned them up for the radio version.
The passive is natural when referring to content or behaviour being reformed by outside pressure or authority.
The show's dialogue was cleaned up before it was broadcast on the family channel.
'Clean up your/his/her act' is a fixed expression meaning to reform one's behaviour generally — treat it as a chunk.
His manager warned him to clean up his act or risk losing his sponsorship deals.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
In this sense, the object should refer to something abstract like behaviour, content, language, or reputation — not a physical place. Using a location as the object shifts the meaning to physical tidying.
When using a pronoun as the object, it must go between 'clean' and 'up'. Placing it after 'up' is ungrammatical.
'Tidy up' suggests making something neater or more orderly, but 'clean up' in this sense implies removing something genuinely offensive, harmful, or unacceptable — it's a stronger, more serious action.
Usage
This sense is neutral in register and appears in both spoken and written English, especially in journalism and public discourse. 'Clean up your act' is a very common fixed expression that a B1-B2 learner should know as a whole chunk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'clean up' always need an object?
No, you can use 'clean up' without mentioning a specific object when the situation is clear. For example, 'I'll clean up after dinner' is perfectly natural. However, if you want to say exactly what you are cleaning, you can add an object: 'I'll clean up the kitchen after dinner.'
Can 'clean up' be used for big problems like pollution, not just small messes at home?
Yes, 'clean up' works for everything from a small spill on the floor to a major environmental disaster. You can say 'clean up the kitchen' or 'clean up a toxic waste site' — both are completely natural. This is one reason the phrasal verb appears so often in the news.
What does 'clean up after someone' mean?
'Clean up after someone' means to clean the mess that another person has made. For example, 'I'm tired of always cleaning up after my roommate.' It often has a slightly frustrated tone, suggesting that the speaker has to do this regularly.
Is 'cleanup' one word or two?
When it is a noun, it is usually written as one word: 'cleanup'. For example, 'The cleanup took three days.' When it is a phrasal verb, it stays as two words: 'We need to clean up this area.' You will see both forms very often in English.
Does 'clean up' always mean the same thing? I've seen it used in very different situations.
No — 'clean up' has several distinct meanings. This particular sense is about removing offensive, harmful, or controversial behaviour or content. The same phrase can also mean to tidy a physical place ('clean up the kitchen') or to win or profit greatly ('she cleaned up at the casino'). The context, and especially the type of object used, makes the meaning clear.
Can I use 'clean up' without an object in this meaning?
In this figurative sense, you almost always need an object — something like 'his act', 'the content', or 'its image'. Without an object, 'clean up' is more likely to be understood as the physical tidying sense or the informal 'profit greatly' sense. To be clear about this meaning, always include what is being reformed or purged.
Is 'clean up your act' a fixed expression, or can I change the words?
'Clean up your act' is indeed a very common fixed expression and it's best learned as a whole chunk. You can adjust the possessive to match the subject — 'clean up his act', 'clean up their act' — but the structure stays the same. Changing 'act' to another word would make it sound unnatural.
Can I use 'clean up' in formal writing, for example in a journalism article?
Yes, this sense of 'clean up' is neutral in register and appears frequently in journalism, political commentary, and sports reporting. You'll find it in both formal articles and informal conversation. It's a natural choice when writing about institutions, industries, or public figures being pressured to reform.
What kinds of things are typically 'cleaned up' in this sense?
Common objects include a person's act, image, language, or attitude, as well as things like lyrics, scripts, content, or a website. At a broader level, you can clean up a sport, an industry, or politics. The key is that the object relates to behaviour, reputation, or content — not a physical place or mess.
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