cleanup
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of cleaning a place or making it tidy after it has been used or made messy.
the act or process of cleaning or tidying a specific area, often following an event or period of neglect.
Simple“The community organized a weekend cleanup of the local park to remove all the litter.”
In context“After the festival concluded, the organizers faced a massive cleanup operation that required dozens of volunteers and several days of work.”
UsageUsually written as one word or hyphenated when used as a noun; the verb form is always two words.
PitfallI need to cleanup my room. I need to clean up my room.Use the two-word phrasal verb 'clean up' for the action; use the one-word 'cleanup' only as a noun.
Synonymstidyingclearing - 02 C1 Advanced
a large project to remove dangerous waste from the environment or to stop dishonest behavior in a group.
an extensive operation to remove pollutants from the environment or to eliminate corruption and inefficiency within an organization.
Simple“The government promised a major cleanup of the river after the chemical spill.”
In context“The new CEO initiated a thorough cleanup of the company's accounting practices to restore investor confidence.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is frequently used in political and environmental contexts to describe systemic reform.
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
the fourth person to hit the ball in a baseball game, usually a very strong player.
the fourth position in the batting order, typically reserved for a power hitter expected to 'clean' the bases by driving in runners.
Simple“He was nervous about batting cleanup in such an important game.”
In context“The manager decided to move the star outfielder into the cleanup spot to maximize the team's scoring potential.”
UsageOften used as an attributive noun in the phrase 'cleanup hitter'.
Teacher's tipThis is a specialized term mostly used in North American baseball contexts.
Synonymsfourth hitter
“Murakami recalled being put to work on cleanup duty.”
A deverbal from clean up.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.