| English Dictionary |
CLEAR
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does clear mean?
• CLEAR (noun)
The noun CLEAR has 2 senses:
1. the state of being free of suspicion
2. a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
Familiarity information: CLEAR used as a noun is rare.
• CLEAR (adjective)
The adjective CLEAR has 17 senses:
1. readily apparent to the mind
2. free from confusion or doubt
3. affording free passage or view
4. allowing light to pass through
5. free from contact or proximity or connection
6. characterized by freedom from troubling thoughts (especially guilt)
7. (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims
8. (especially of a title) free from any encumbrance or limitation that presents a question of fact or law
9. clear and distinct to the senses; easily perceptible
10. accurately stated or described
11. free from clouds or mist or haze
12. free of restrictions or qualifications
13. free from flaw or blemish or impurity
14. clear of charges or deductions
15. easily deciphered
16. freed from any question of guilt
17. characterized by ease and quickness in perceiving
Familiarity information: CLEAR used as an adjective is very familiar.
• CLEAR (verb)
The verb CLEAR has 24 senses:
1. rid of obstructions
2. make a way or path by removing objects
3. become clear
4. grant authorization or clearance for
5. remove
6. go unchallenged; be approved
7. be debited and credited to the proper bank accounts
8. go away or disappear
9. pass by, over, or under without making contact
10. make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear
11. free from payment of customs duties, as of a shipment
12. clear from impurities, blemishes, pollution, etc.
13. yield as a net profit
14. make as a net profit
15. earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
16. sell
17. pass an inspection or receive authorization
18. pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
19. settle, as of a debt
20. make clear, bright, light, or translucent
21. rid of instructions or data
22. remove (people) from a building
23. remove the occupants of
24. free (the throat) by making a rasping sound
Familiarity information: CLEAR used as a verb is very familiar.
• CLEAR (adverb)
The adverb CLEAR has 2 senses:
1. completely
2. in an easily perceptible manner
Familiarity information: CLEAR used as an adverb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
The state of being free of suspicion
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Context example:
investigation showed that he was in the clear
Hypernyms ("clear" is a kind of...):
innocence (a state or condition of being innocent of a specific crime or offense)
Derivation:
clear (pronounce not guilty of criminal charges)
clear (freed from any question of guilt)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Synonyms:
clear; open
Context example:
finally broke out of the forest into the open
Hypernyms ("clear" is a kind of...):
area; country (a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography))
Derivation:
clear (remove)
clear (rid of obstructions)
clear (affording free passage or view)
clear (make a way or path by removing objects)
| Declension: comparative and superlative |
Superlative: clearest
Sense 1
Meaning:
Readily apparent to the mind
Context example:
gave us a clear idea of human nature
Similar:
broad; unsubtle (lacking subtlety; obvious)
clear-cut; distinct; trenchant (clearly or sharply defined to the mind)
crystal clear; limpid; lucid; luculent; pellucid; perspicuous ((of language) transparently clear; easily understandable)
prima facie (as it seems at first sight)
unmistakable (clearly evident to the mind)
vivid (having the clarity and freshness of immediate experience)
Also:
distinct (easy to perceive; especially clearly outlined)
definite (precise; explicit and clearly defined)
unambiguous (having or exhibiting a single clearly defined meaning)
comprehendible; comprehensible (capable of being comprehended or understood)
Attribute:
clarity; clearness; limpidity; lucidity; lucidness; pellucidity (free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression)
Antonym:
unclear (not clear to the mind)
Derivation:
clearness; clarity (free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Free from confusion or doubt
Context example:
not clear about what is expected of us
Similar:
clear-thinking; clearheaded (not mentally confused; able to think clearly and act intelligently)
Derivation:
clearness (free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Affording free passage or view
Synonyms:
clear; open
Context example:
the open countryside
Similar:
unobstructed (free from impediment or obstruction or hindrance)
Derivation:
clarity (the quality of clear water)
clear (a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Allowing light to pass through
Context example:
the air is clear and clean
Similar:
crystal clear; crystalline; limpid; lucid; pellucid; transparent (transmitting light; able to be seen through with clarity)
hyaline; hyaloid (resembling glass in transparency or translucency)
limpid; liquid (clear and bright)
semitransparent; translucent (allowing light to pass through diffusely)
unclouded (not made opaque or cloudy by sediment)
unfrosted ((of glass) lacking a frosted coating)
Attribute:
clarity; clearness; uncloudedness (the quality of clear water)
Antonym:
opaque (not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy; impenetrable to sight)
Derivation:
clarity; clearness (the quality of clear water)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Free from contact or proximity or connection
Context example:
the ship was clear of the reef
Similar:
free (not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Characterized by freedom from troubling thoughts (especially guilt)
Context example:
regarded her questioner with clear untroubled eyes
Similar:
untroubled (not beset by troubles or disturbance or distress)
Sense 7
Meaning:
(of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims
Synonyms:
clean; clear; light; unclouded
Context example:
a light lilting voice like a silver bell
Similar:
pure (free of extraneous elements of any kind)
Derivation:
clarity; clearness (the quality of clear water)
Sense 8
Meaning:
(especially of a title) free from any encumbrance or limitation that presents a question of fact or law
Synonyms:
clear; unmortgaged
Context example:
I have clear title to this property
Similar:
unencumbered (free of encumbrance)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Clear and distinct to the senses; easily perceptible
Synonyms:
Context example:
a clear-cut pattern
Similar:
distinct (easy to perceive; especially clearly outlined)
Derivation:
clearness (free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression)
Sense 10
Meaning:
Accurately stated or described
Synonyms:
clear; well-defined
Context example:
a set of well-defined values
Derivation:
clarity; clearness (free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression)
Sense 11
Meaning:
Free from clouds or mist or haze
Context example:
on a clear day
Similar:
fair (free of clouds or rain)
serene (completely clear and fine)
cloudless; unclouded (free from clouds)
Domain category:
meteorology (the earth science dealing with phenomena of the atmosphere (especially weather))
Antonym:
cloudy (full of or covered with clouds)
Derivation:
clarity; clearness (the quality of clear water)
Sense 12
Meaning:
Free of restrictions or qualifications
Synonyms:
clean; clear
Context example:
a clear winner
Similar:
unqualified (not limited or restricted)
Sense 13
Meaning:
Free from flaw or blemish or impurity
Context example:
the clear complexion of a healthy young woman
Similar:
perfect (being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish)
Derivation:
clearness (the quality of clear water)
Sense 14
Meaning:
Clear of charges or deductions
Context example:
a clear profit
Similar:
net; nett (remaining after all deductions)
Sense 15
Meaning:
Easily deciphered
Synonyms:
clear; decipherable; readable
Similar:
legible ((of handwriting, print, etc.) capable of being read or deciphered)
Derivation:
clarity; clearness (free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression)
Sense 16
Meaning:
Freed from any question of guilt
Synonyms:
absolved; clear; cleared; exculpated; exonerated; vindicated
Context example:
his official honor is vindicated
Similar:
clean-handed; guiltless; innocent (free from evil or guilt)
Derivation:
clear (the state of being free of suspicion)
clearness (free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression)
Sense 17
Meaning:
Characterized by ease and quickness in perceiving
Synonyms:
clear; percipient
Context example:
a percipient author
Similar:
discerning (having or revealing keen insight and good judgment)
Derivation:
clearness (free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it clears Past simple: cleared
Past participle: cleared
-ing form: clearing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Rid of obstructions
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
clear; unclutter
Context example:
Clear your desk
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Verb group:
clear (remove)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sentence example:
They clear the path of the snow
Also:
clear away; clear off (remove from sight)
Derivation:
clear (a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Make a way or path by removing objects
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
Clear a path through the dense forest
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
create; make (make or cause to be or to become)
Verb group:
clear (remove)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
clearing (a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area)
clear (a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Become clear
Classified under:
Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering
Synonyms:
brighten; clear; clear up; light up
Context example:
The sky cleared after the storm
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
It is ----ing
Sense 4
Meaning:
Grant authorization or clearance for
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
authorise; authorize; clear; pass
Context example:
The rock star never authorized this slanderous biography
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
allow; countenance; let; permit (consent to, give permission)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clear"):
approbate (approve or sanction officially)
certificate (authorize by certificate)
approve; O.K.; okay; sanction (give sanction to)
declare (authorize payments of)
certify; licence; license (authorize officially)
commission (charge with a task)
formalise; formalize; validate (declare or make legally valid)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Derivation:
clearance (permission to proceed)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Remove
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
Clear snow from the road
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Verb group:
clear; unclutter (rid of obstructions)
clear (make a way or path by removing objects)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clear"):
clear-cut (remove all the trees at one time)
stump (remove tree stumps from)
deforest; disafforest; disforest (remove the trees from)
bare; denudate; denude; strip (lay bare)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sentence example:
They clear the snow from the path
Derivation:
clear (a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water)
clearing (a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Go unchallenged; be approved
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
clear; pass
Context example:
The bill cleared the House
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
bring home the bacon; come through; deliver the goods; succeed; win (attain success or reach a desired goal)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clear"):
clear (pass an inspection or receive authorization)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Sense 7
Meaning:
Be debited and credited to the proper bank accounts
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Context example:
The check will clear within 2 business days
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Antonym:
bounce (come back after being refused)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Go away or disappear
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Context example:
The fog cleared in the afternoon
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
disappear; go away; vanish (become invisible or unnoticeable)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 9
Meaning:
Pass by, over, or under without making contact
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
clear; top
Context example:
the balloon cleared the tree tops
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
overhaul; overtake; pass (travel past)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clear"):
hop (jump across)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
clearance (the distance by which one thing clears another; the space between them)
Sense 10
Meaning:
Make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Synonyms:
clear; clear up; crystalise; crystalize; crystallise; crystallize; elucidate; enlighten; illuminate; shed light on; sort out; straighten out
Context example:
Clear up the question of who is at fault
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
clarify; clear up; elucidate (make clear and (more) comprehensible)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 11
Meaning:
Free from payment of customs duties, as of a shipment
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
Clear the ship and let it dock
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
discharge; free (free from obligations or duties)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 12
Meaning:
Clear from impurities, blemishes, pollution, etc.
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Context example:
clear the water before it can be drunk
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
disembarrass; free; rid (relieve from)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
clearing (the act of removing solid particles from a liquid)
Sense 13
Meaning:
Yield as a net profit
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
clear; net
Context example:
This sale netted me $1 million
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
Verb group:
clear; net; sack; sack up (make as a net profit)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Sense 14
Meaning:
Make as a net profit
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
Context example:
The company cleared $1 million
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
benefit; gain; profit (derive a benefit from)
Verb group:
bring in; clear; earn; gain; make; pull in; realise; realize; take in (earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages)
clear; net (yield as a net profit)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 15
Meaning:
Earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
bring in; clear; earn; gain; make; pull in; realise; realize; take in
Context example:
He clears $5,000 each month
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)
Verb group:
clear; net; sack; sack up (make as a net profit)
make (act in a certain way so as to acquire)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clear"):
eke out; squeeze out (make by laborious and precarious means)
profit; turn a profit (make a profit; gain money or materially)
rake off (take money from an illegal transaction)
bring home; take home (earn as a salary or wage)
rake in; shovel in (earn large sums of money)
gross (earn before taxes, expenses, etc.)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sentence example:
They clear the money
Sense 16
Meaning:
Sell
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Context example:
We cleared a lot of the old model cars
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
sell (exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent)
Domain category:
commerce; commercialism; mercantilism (transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services))
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 17
Meaning:
Pass an inspection or receive authorization
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context example:
clear customs
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
clear; pass (go unchallenged; be approved)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 18
Meaning:
Pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
acquit; assoil; clear; discharge; exculpate; exonerate
Context example:
The suspect was cleared of the murder charges
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
judge; label; pronounce (pronounce judgment on)
"Clear" entails doing...:
evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clear"):
vindicate (clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting proof)
purge (clear of a charge)
whitewash (exonerate by means of a perfunctory investigation or through biased presentation of data)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody of something
Sentence example:
They want to clear the prisoners
Derivation:
clear (the state of being free of suspicion)
clearing (the act of freeing from suspicion)
Sense 19
Meaning:
Settle, as of a debt
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
clear; solve
Context example:
solve an old debt
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
determine; settle; square off; square up (settle conclusively; come to terms)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 20
Meaning:
Make clear, bright, light, or translucent
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
The water had to be cleared through filtering
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
clearing (the act of removing solid particles from a liquid)
Sense 21
Meaning:
Rid of instructions or data
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
clear a memory buffer
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
empty (make void or empty of contents)
Domain category:
computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 22
Meaning:
Remove (people) from a building
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
clear the patrons from the theater after the bomb threat
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
move out; remove; take out (cause to leave)
Verb group:
clear (remove the occupants of)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 23
Meaning:
Remove the occupants of
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
Clear the building
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
empty (make void or empty of contents)
Verb group:
clear (remove (people) from a building)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 24
Meaning:
Free (the throat) by making a rasping sound
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
clear; clear up
Context example:
Clear the throat
Hypernyms (to "clear" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 1
Meaning:
Completely
Synonyms:
all the way; clear
Context example:
there were open fields clear to the horizon
Sense 2
Meaning:
In an easily perceptible manner
Synonyms:
clear; clearly
Context example:
She cried loud and clear
Context examples
He was a young man with a clear, hairless face, a long, thin nose, and rather nut-cracker jaws.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
"A Mexican with a knife, miss," he answered, moistening his parched lips and clearing his throat.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Here, in a clearing upon the green slope of a hill, stood a long, low, stone house, approached by a curving drive running through the fields.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Every morning she went with the child to the garden where the wild beasts were kept, and washed herself there in a clear stream.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
As your ruler Mars gives you your strong competitive spirit and powerful energy, it is clear the golden apple is on the tree, ripe and deliciously ready for you to pluck.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
The drawbacks, on the other hand, are clear.
(Can Chocolate Really Be Good for You?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
“If we could pull the plug on the oceans, it would be clear to everybody that we have mountain chains and a big, high-standing continent,” he told TVNZ.
(Researchers Argue for Eighth Continent: Zealandia, VOA)
Organic compounds and particular matter released when burning forests to clear land for agriculture can kill human lung cells or lead to irreversible damage to DNA, according to a new study.
(Lung damage from agricultural fires probed, SciDev.Net)
This new analysis also shows that these stars were the only sources needed to clear the "opaque fog" that permeated the early universe.
(First Stars Formed Later Than We Thought, NASA)
Plasma is the single largest component of blood and is the clear liquid that remains after the removal of red and white blood cells and platelets.
(Study highlights potential for ‘liquid health check’ to predict disease risk, University of Cambridge)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." (Native American proverb, Cherokee)
"There's no place like home." (American proverb)
"He who wins the first hand, leaves with only his pants in hand." (Corsican proverb)