cleanup: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Informal to neutral; widely used in everyday, business, computing, and environmental contexts.
Quick answer
What does “cleanup” mean?
An act or process of making a place clean and tidy, often after an event, period of neglect, or disorganization.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
An act or process of making a place clean and tidy, often after an event, period of neglect, or disorganization.
Also refers to the process of removing or correcting undesirable elements (e.g., data cleanup, corruption cleanup) or the final, often easy, part of a task. In sports, refers to a player who deals with the last, often simple, part of a play.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling: The hyphenated noun form 'clean-up' is more common and prescriptively preferred in British English, while 'cleanup' (one word) is standard in American English.
Connotations
No significant difference in core meaning.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English due to pervasive use in business ('cost cleanup'), computing, and media ('post-game cleanup').
Grammar
How to Use “cleanup” in a Sentence
The [event/organization] carried out a [size/adjective] cleanup of the [area].A [size] cleanup is needed/underway.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cleanup” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- We need to clean up the kitchen after dinner.
- The council promised to clean up the park.
American English
- They're going to clean up the old factory site.
- He cleaned up at the poker table last night.
adverb
British English
- N/A for 'cleanup' as adverb. The phrasal verb 'clean up' functions adverbially in particle verbs.
American English
- N/A for 'cleanup' as adverb. The phrasal verb 'clean up' functions adverbially in particle verbs.
adjective
British English
- A clean-up operation will begin tomorrow.
- She was on the clean-up crew.
American English
- He's the cleanup batter.
- The cleanup operation took three weeks.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Refers to correcting financial statements, removing redundant data, or restructuring parts of a company (e.g., 'balance sheet cleanup').
Academic
Used in environmental science for site remediation and in computing for data normalization.
Everyday
Most common for post-event tidying, seasonal house cleaning, or community litter-picking events.
Technical
In computing: removing temporary files, corrupt data, or outdated code. In chemistry/engineering: decontamination processes.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cleanup”
Strong
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cleanup”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cleanup”
- Using 'cleanup' as a verb (correct: 'clean up'). Confusing it with 'clean out' (which implies removing contents).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Cleanup' (or clean-up) is a noun. 'Clean up' is a phrasal verb (e.g., 'Let's clean up this mess').
As a noun, it's standard as one word in American English ('cleanup') and often hyphenated in British English ('clean-up'), though both forms are understood. The verb is always two words.
Yes, it's commonly used metaphorically for abstract problems: 'a corruption cleanup,' 'data cleanup,' 'financial cleanup.'
It's the fourth batter in the lineup, whose role is to 'clean up' the bases by hitting in any runners that the previous batters have put on base.
An act or process of making a place clean and tidy, often after an event, period of neglect, or disorganization.
Cleanup is usually informal to neutral; widely used in everyday, business, computing, and environmental contexts. in register.
Cleanup: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkliːn.ʌp/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkliːn.ʌp/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Cleanup on aisle five!”
- “A cleanup hitter (baseball).”
- “The cleanup phase of the project.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
After a party, the cups are piling UP; you must CLEAN them UP. Put the action together: a CLEANUP.
Conceptual Metaphor
ORDER IS CLEANLINESS / A PROBLEM IS DIRT (e.g., 'clean up the corruption' implies removing metaphorical dirt).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'cleanup' LEAST likely to be used?