Phrasal verb
clean out
Definition
phrasal verb. to remove everything from a place or container to make it empty and tidy.
phrasal verb. to empty a space or container completely, typically for the purpose of cleaning, organizing, or removing unwanted items.
Examples
“I need to clean out my closet this weekend.”
“After the old tenant moved out, the landlord had to clean out the entire apartment before the new family arrived.”
“The investigators spent several hours cleaning out the filing cabinets to ensure no sensitive documents remained in the abandoned office.”
Examples
simple
“I need to clean out my closet this weekend.”
contextual
“After the old tenant moved out, the landlord had to clean out the entire apartment before the new family arrived.”
complex
“The investigators spent several hours cleaning out the filing cabinets to ensure no sensitive documents remained in the abandoned office.”
Usage
usually takes a physical container or room as its object.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'clean up' (which means to tidy a mess) versus 'clean out' (which means to empty a space); use a physical bag or box in class to demonstrate the difference.
Pitfall
I clean out it.
I clean it out.
when the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must go between the verb and the particle.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
clean + object + out
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/clean-out