clearing

noun

clear·​ing ˈklir-iŋ How to pronounce clearing (audio)
Synonyms of clearingnext
1
: the act or process of making or becoming clear
2
: a tract of land cleared of wood and brush
3
: the settlement of accounts or exchange of financial instruments especially between banks

Synonyms of clearing

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of clearing in a Sentence

the clearing of the table the clearing of wood and brush from part of the forest We found a clearing in the forest.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Homeowners can take immediate steps to prepare for a hurricane, such as securing windows and clearing yards of debris. — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 2 July 2026 And the dream of Destiny 3 taking shape now is impossible, given the clearing out of the entire Destiny 2 team. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 The project will also add north jetty improvements, conduct artificial reef mitigation and rubble clearing. — Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026 Towards the same clearing where God once brought Clara to the devil so that the devil could bring her to her closest friends — the only people capable of returning her to herself. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for clearing

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clearing was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing clearing

Rhymes for clearing

See All Rhymes for clearing

Browse Nearby Words

clear in
clearing
clearing agreement
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clearing. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

clearing

noun
clear·​ing ˈkli(ə)r-iŋ How to pronounce clearing (audio)
1
: the act or process of making or becoming clear
2
: an area of land cleared of wood and brush

More from Merriam-Webster on clearing

Nglish: Translation of clearing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All