clear

clear [klir]

adj.

[ME cler < OFr < L clarus, orig., clear-sounding, hence clear, bright: for IE base see CLAMOR]

1. free from clouds or mist; bright; light [a clear day]

2. free from cloudiness, muddiness, etc.; transparent or pure; not turbid [a clear crystal, a clear red]

3. having no blemishes [a clear complexion]

4. not faint or blurred; easily seen or heard; sharply defined; distinct [a clear outline, clear tones]

5. perceiving acutely; keen or logical [a clear eye, a clear mind]

6. serene and calm [a clear countenance]

7. free from confusion or ambiguity; not obscure; easily understood [the meaning is clear]

8. obvious; unmistakable [a clear case of neglect]

9. certain; positive [to be clear on a point]

10. free from guilt or a charge of guilt; innocent [a clear conscience]

11. free from charges or deductions; net [to earn a clear $30,000]

12. free from debt or encumbrance [a clear title to the house]

13. free from qualification; absolute; complete [a clear victory]

14. free from contact; not entangled, confined, hindered, etc. [a style clear of cant]

15. free from impediment or obstruction; open [keep the fire lanes clear]

16. freed or emptied of freight or cargo

adv.

1. in a clear manner; so as to be clear

2. all the way; completely [it sank clear to the bottom]

vt.

1. to make clear or bright

2. to free from impurities, blemishes, cloudiness, muddiness, etc.

3.

a) to make intelligible, plain, or lucid; clarify

b) to decode or decipher

4. to rid of obstructions, entanglements, or obstacles; open [to clear a path through snow]

5. to get rid of; remove

6. to empty or unload [to clear a freighter of cargo]

7. to free (a person or thing) of or from something

8. to free from a charge or a suspicion of guilt; prove the innocence of; acquit

9. to pass or leap over, by, etc.

10. to pass without contact [the tug cleared the bridge]

11. to discharge (a debt) by paying it

12. to give or get clearance for

13. to be passed or approved by [the plan cleared the committee]

14. to go through (a customs office)

15. to handle and deal with (letters, files, etc.) properly

16. to make (a given amount) as profit or earnings not subject to charges or deductions; net

17. to make (the sight) clear or sharp

18.

a) to rid (the throat) of phlegm by hawking or coughing

b) to rid (the voice) of hoarseness thus

19. Banking to pass (a check, draft, etc.) through a clearinghouse

vi.

1. to become clear, unclouded, etc.

2. to pass away; vanish

3. to get clearance, as a ship leaving a port

4. Banking to be accepted or received through a clearinghouse, as a check, draft, etc.

n.

a clear space

SYN.- EVIDENT

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clear away

1. to take away so as to leave a cleared space

2. to go away; go out of sight

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clear off

1. to clear away

2. to remove something from in order to make clear

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clear out

1. to clear by emptying

☆ 2. Informal to go away; depart

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clear the air or clear the atmosphere

to get rid of emotional tensions, misunderstandings, etc.

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clear up

1. to make or become clear

2. to make orderly

3. to become unclouded, sunny, etc. after being cloudy or stormy

4. to explain

5. to cure or become cured [this will clear up your cold]

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in the clear

1. free from enclosing or limiting obstructions

2. Informal free from suspicion or guilt

clearable

adj.

clearer

n.

clearly

adv.

clearness

n.

SYN.- CLEAR suggests freedom from cloudiness, haziness, muddiness, etc., either literally or figuratively [a clear liquid, clear logic ]; TRANSPARENT suggests such clearness that objects on the other side (or by extension, meanings, etc.) may be seen distinctly [plate glass is transparent]; TRANSLUCENT implies the admission of light, but so diffused that objects on the other side cannot be clearly distinguished [stained glass is translucent]; PELLUCID suggests the sparkling clearness of crystal [a slab of pellucid ice, pellucid writing ] -ANT. OPAQUE, CLOUDY, TURBID