ENGLISH
REFERENCE

clean off

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford

phr. v.. to remove dirt or unwanted marks from the surface of something.

phr. v.. to remove a substance or layer of debris from a surface; typically implies a wiping or scrubbing action to restore the surface to its original state.


SIMPLE

Please clean off the table after you finish eating.

CONTEXTUAL

He used a damp cloth to clean off the mud that had dried on his boots.

COMPLEX

The restoration team worked delicately to clean off centuries of soot and grime from the cathedral's marble altar without damaging the stone.

Particles
off
Separability
optional
Pattern
clean + [object] + off
Usage

usually followed by the surface being cleaned or the specific substance being removed.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'clean up' (which focuses on tidying a whole area) versus 'clean off' (which focuses on a specific surface); 'off' emphasizes the removal of a layer.

Pitfall

I need to clean off of the counter.I need to clean off the counter.the word 'off' acts as the particle here and does not require an extra 'of' before the object.

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