clean off

clean off — phrasal verb

  • clean offbase form
  • cleans off3rd person singular
  • cleaning off-ing form
  • cleaned offpast simple

1. to take dirt or unwanted material off a surface so that it becomes clean again,

1.phrasal verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to take dirt or unwanted material off a surface so that it becomes clean again, usually using a cloth, brush, or your hand

Example

Maeve cleaned off the kitchen counter before she started making dinner.

clean + off + noun phrase (object after particle)

After the walk, Imran cleaned the mud off his boots with a damp cloth.

clean + noun phrase + off (object between verb and particle)

Common collocations
  • clean off the table
  • clean off the surface
  • clean off dirt
  • clean off mud
  • clean off paint
  • clean off grease
Synonyms
  • wipe off

    more specific — suggests using a cloth or a rubbing motion

  • scrub off

    stronger — suggests using force and a brush

  • remove

    more formal and general; does not specifically imply cleaning

Grammar Patterns

clean + off + noun phrase

clean + noun phrase + off

Usage Note

This phrasal verb is separable: the object can go between 'clean' and 'off' or after 'off'. When the object is a pronoun (it, them), it must go between the verb and the particle: 'clean it off', not 'clean off it'.

Common Mistakes

She cleaned off it with a sponge.
She cleaned it off with a sponge.
when the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle, not after 'off'.

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The phrasal verb 'clean off' combines 'clean' (from Old English 'clæne', meaning free from dirt) with the particle 'off', which signals removal or separation. This combination has been used since the 14th century to describe taking dirt away from a surface.