"cleaning" in the noun sense
1. cleaning, cleansing, cleanup
the act of making something clean
"he gave his shoes a good cleaning"
"cleaning" in the verb sense
1. clean, make clean
make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from
"Clean the stove!"
"The dentist cleaned my teeth"
2. clean, pick
remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits
"Clean the turkey"
3. houseclean, clean house, clean
clean and tidy up the house
"She housecleans every week"
4. cleanse, clean
clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing
"clean up before you see your grandparents"
"clean your fingernails before dinner"
5. clean
be cleanable
"This stove cleans easily"
6. clean
deprive wholly of money in a gambling game, robbery, etc.
"The other players cleaned him completely"
7. clean, strip
remove all contents or possession from, or empty completely
"The boys cleaned the sandwich platters"
"The trees were cleaned of apples by the storm"
8. clean
remove while making clean
"Clean the spots off the rug"
9. scavenge, clean
remove unwanted substances from
10. clean
remove shells or husks from
"clean grain before milling it"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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