# clean up one's act

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/clean-up-ones-act
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To reform; to improve one's habits.

## Examples

- He needs to clean up his act and stop being late.
- After getting a warning at work, she decided to clean up her act and arrive on time.
- The once-notorious musician, now a father of two, finally cleaned up his act, trading late nights and chaos for early mornings and stability.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.