clear out
clear out — noun
1. an event when someone cleans an entire room, cupboard, or building by removing u
an event when someone cleans an entire room, cupboard, or building by removing unwanted things and organising what remains
Quan and his sisters did a massive clear-out of the garage last Sunday.
collocation: massive clear-out / big clear-out
The charity shop received five full bags after Faisal's wardrobe clear-out.
A thorough clear-out of the office revealed old files from the 1990s.
After the spring clear-out, the storage room looked twice as large.
- tidy-up
less thorough, more about arranging than discarding
- spring-clean
specifically a seasonal deep clean of a whole house
文法句型
a clear-out
have a clear-out
用法筆記
Common in British English; 'spring clear-out' is a set phrase describing a seasonal deep clean. Often used in the pattern 'have a clear-out'.
clear out — phrasal verb
- clear outbase form
- clears out3rd person singular
- clearing out-ing form
- cleared outpast simple
1. to go away from somewhere in a hurry, often because of danger, an unpleasant sit
to go away from somewhere in a hurry, often because of danger, an unpleasant situation, or because you are no longer wanted there
When the fire alarm sounded, everyone cleared out of the building within minutes.
clear out of [place] for leaving a location
The security guard told the crowd to clear out before the shop opened.
imperative: told [someone] to clear out
Selim cleared out as soon as he heard the argument getting loud.
The neighbours cleared out when they smelled gas coming from the basement.
Quinn's landlord told him to clear out by the end of the month.
- stay
remain in place
文法句型
clear out
clear out of [place]
tell someone to clear out
用法筆記
Intransitive only — no direct object. The preposition 'of' introduces the location: 'clear out of the room'. Stronger and more urgent than 'leave'; frequently used as a command.
常見錯誤
2. to remove all unwanted items from a space and clean it, so that it becomes tidy
to remove all unwanted items from a space and clean it, so that it becomes tidy and well-organised
Mayumi spent the whole weekend clearing out her late grandmother's attic.
clear out [place] — removing unwanted items
We need to clear the fridge out before the holiday trip next week.
separable: clear [place] out
The teacher cleared out the supply cupboard and donated old materials to the art room.
Constanza cleared her desk drawers out and found a photo from primary school.
Élise and her brother cleared out the garden shed in one sunny afternoon.
- clutter up
fill with unnecessary items
- fill
put things into a space
文法句型
clear out [place]
clear [place] out
clear out + noun phrase
用法筆記
Separable: both 'clear out the cupboard' and 'clear the cupboard out' are correct. When the object is a pronoun, it must go between: 'clear it out' (not 'clear out it').
常見錯誤
clear out — verb
- clear outpresent simple I / you / we / they
- clears out3rd person singular
- clearing out-ing form
- cleared outpast simple
1. to go away from a place permanently or for a long period, taking your belongings
to go away from a place permanently or for a long period, taking your belongings with you
The last tenant cleared out without paying the final month's rent.
clear out — leave permanently, taking belongings
Yuki cleared out of her dorm room right after the graduation ceremony.
clear out of [place]
By sunrise the campers had cleared out and left only footprints behind.
The shop owner cleared out when the lease expired last March.
By the end of the month, all the tenants had cleared out and the building stood empty.
文法句型
clear out
clear out of [place]
用法筆記
Distinguish from the phrasal verb sense 'leave quickly': this sense emphasises taking all possessions and leaving permanently or for a long time, rather than urgency. The object of 'of' is the place being left.
常見錯誤
2. to take away all the people or objects from a place, leaving it completely empty
to take away all the people or objects from a place, leaving it completely empty
Police cleared out the building after the bomb threat was reported this morning.
clear out [place] — removing people for safety
The management cleared out all the old furniture to make room for new desks.
Noa cleared out the basement and turned it into a music studio for the band.
The security team cleared the protesters out of the lobby before the ceremony began.
Quan and his cousin cleared the junk out of the garage in two hours.
文法句型
clear out [place]
clear [place] out
clear out [people/objects]
用法筆記
When applied to people, it implies using authority or force. When applied to objects, it simply means removing them. Often used in news reports about evacuations.