clear

Etymology

From Middle English clere, from Anglo-Norman cler, from Old French cler (Modern French clair), from Latin clarus. Displaced native Middle English schir (“clear, pure”) (from Old English scīr (“clear, bright”)), Middle English skere (“clear, sheer”) (from Old English scǣre and Old Norse skǣr (“sheer, clear, pure”)), Middle English smolt (“clear (of mind), serene”) (from Old English smolt (“peaceful, serene”)). Cognate with Danish klar, Dutch klaar, French clair, German klar, Italian chiaro, Norwegian klar, Portuguese claro, Romanian clar, Spanish claro, and Swedish klar.

adj

1. Transparent in colour.
   as clear as crystal
2. Bright; luminous; not dark or obscured.
   The windshield was clear and clean.
   Congress passed the President’s Clear Skies legislation.
3. Free of obstacles.
   The driver had mistakenly thought the intersection was clear.
   The coast is clear.
   Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path[…]. It twisted and turned,[…]and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn. And, back of the lawn, was a big, old-fashioned house, with piazzas stretching in front of it, and all blazing with lights. 'Twas the house I'd seen the roof of from the beach. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
4. Without clouds.
   clear weather; a clear day
5. (meteorology) Of the sky, such that less than one eighth of its area is obscured by clouds.
6. Free of ambiguity or doubt; easily understood.
   He gave clear instructions not to bother him at work.
   Do I make myself clear?
   I'm still not quite clear on what some of these words mean.
   From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much.[…] But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip. 2013-06-08, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52
   NR Chairman Sir Peter Hendy had made it clear that he didn't want anything that smacked of the bus shelters seen at many small, usually unstaffed stations. June 30 2021, Anthony Lambert, “A railway station fit for the 21st century”, in RAIL, number 934, page 42
7. Distinct, sharp, well-marked.
8. (figurative) Free of guilt, or suspicion.
   a clear conscience
   Statesman, yet friend to truth! in soul sincere, In action faithful, and in honour clear 1754, Alexander Pope, “Verses occasioned by Mr. Addison's treatise of medals”, in Joseph Addison, Dialogues Upon the Usefulness of Ancient Medals, page 5
9. (of a soup) Without a thickening ingredient.
10. Possessing little or no perceptible stimulus.
    clear of texture; clear of odor
11. (Scientology) Free from the influence of engrams; see Clear (Scientology).
    Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair. She said that you gave it to her that night that you planned to go clear. Did you ever go clear? 1971, Leonard Cohen, Famous Blue Raincoat
12. Able to perceive clearly; keen; acute; penetrating; discriminating.
    a clear intellect; a clear head
13. Not clouded with passion; serene; cheerful.
14. Easily or distinctly heard; audible.
    Hark! the numbers, soft and clear Gently steal upon the ear c. 1708, Alexander Pope, Ode On St. Cecilia's Day
15. Unmixed; entirely pure.
    clear sand
16. Without defects or blemishes, such as freckles or knots.
    a clear complexion; clear lumber
    high school girls with clear-skinned smiles 1975, Janis Ian (lyrics and music), “At Seventeen”
17. Without diminution; in full; net.
    a clear profit
    I often wished that I had clear For life, six hundred pounds a year 1728, Jonathan Swift, Horace, Lib. 2, Sat. 6
18. (of a railway signal) Showing a green aspect, allowing a train to proceed past it.
    The signals were clear to allow the train through Soham, as it steadily approached. January 12 2022, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42
19. (MLE) Good, the best.
    Nando's is clear.
20. (MLE) Better than, superior to.
    Spurs are clear of Arsenal.

adv

1. All the way; entirely.
   I threw it clear across the river to the other side.
2. Not near something or touching it.
   Stand clear of the rails, a train is coming.
3. Free (or separate) from others.
   Much soul-searching is going on at the west London club who, just seven weeks ago, were five points clear at the top of the table and playing with the verve with which they won the title last season. December 29, 2010, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC
4. In a clear manner; plainly.
   I want you to know how he spoke: he spoke loud, and he spoke clear. 1988, Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses
   Can't they see for themselves? Course not. Looks like dust to them, so they can't see it clear at all 1992, Orson Scott Card, Cruel Miracles
   I would get very short with people and speak clear of my feelings without consideration of their feelings. 2005, Sammatha Crosby Scott, There's a War Inside of Me, page 111
   Then I heard clear your mother's voice, crying out in distress! 2009, Stephen James Shore, Annalea A Princess in Exile, page 160
   Now when God called him, Moses told God immediately that he could not speak clear enough to be this leader. 2010, Jack Mayatt, A Better Man: An Inspirational Book, page 20

verb

1. (transitive) To remove obstructions, impediments or other unwanted items from.
   Police took two hours to clear the road.
   If you clear the table, I'll wash up.
   Faith, Dick, I muſt confeſs, ’tis true (But this is only Entre Nous) That many knotty Points there are, Which All diſcuſs, but Few can clear. 1715–8, Matthew Prior, “Alma: or, The Progreſs of the Mind” in Poems on Several Occaſions (1741), canto III, p.297
   ‘Children crawled over each other like little grey worms in the gutters,’ he said. ‘The only red things about them were their buttocks and they were raw. Their faces looked as if snails had slimed on them and their mothers were like great sick beasts whose byres had never been cleared.[…]’ 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 7, in The China Governess
   Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles. 2013-06-29, “Unspontaneous combustion”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 29
2. (transitive) To remove (items or material) so as to leave something unobstructed or open.
   Please clear all this stuff off the table.
   The loggers came and cleared the trees.
   […] Aristotle has brought to explain his Doctrine of Substantial Forms, when he tells us that a Statue lies hid in a Block of Marble; and that the Art of the statuary only clears away the superfluous Matter, and removes the Rubbish. November 6 1711, Joseph Addison, The Spectator, number 215
3. (intransitive) To leave abruptly; to clear off or clear out.
4. (intransitive) To become free from obstruction or obscurement; to become transparent.
   When the road cleared we continued our journey.
   After a heavy rain, the sky cleared nicely for the evening.
   Shake the test tube well, and the liquid should slowly clear.
5. (transitive) To eliminate ambiguity or doubt from (a matter); to clarify or resolve; to clear up.
   We need to clear this issue once and for all.
6. (transitive) To remove from suspicion, especially of having committed a crime.
   The court cleared the man of murder.
   […] yet I appeal to the reader, and am sure he will clear me from Partiality. 1713, John Dryden, “Preface”, in Fables Antient and Modern
   How! Wouldst thou clear rebellion? 1713, Joseph Addison, Cato, a Tragedy, act III, scene v
7. (transitive) To pass without interference; to miss.
   The door just barely clears the table as it closes.
   The leaping horse easily cleared the hurdles.
8. (transitive, activities such as jumping or throwing) To exceed a stated mark.
   She was the first female high jumper to clear two metres.
9. (transitive, video games) To finish or complete (a stage, challenge, or game).
   I cleared the first level in 36 seconds.
10. (intransitive) Of a check or financial transaction, to go through as payment; to be processed so that the money is transferred.
    The check might not clear for a couple of days.
11. (transitive, business) To earn a profit of; to net.
    He's been clearing seven thousand a week.
    The profit which she cleared on the cargo […] cannot be estimated at less than a thousand guineas. 1843, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume I, chapter V
12. (transitive) To approve or authorise for a particular purpose or action; to give clearance to.
    Air traffic control cleared the plane to land.
    The marketing department has cleared the press release for publication.
13. (transitive) To obtain approval or authorisation in respect of.
    I've cleared the press release with the marketing department, so go ahead and publish it.
14. (intransitive) To obtain a clearance.
    The steamer cleared for Liverpool today.
15. (transitive) To obtain permission to use (a sample of copyrighted audio) in another track.
16. To disengage oneself from incumbrances, distress, or entanglements; to become free.
    Beſides, he that cleares at once will relapſe: for finding himſelfe out of ſtraights, he will reuert to his cuſtomes. But hee that cleareth by degrees, induceth an habite of frugality, and gaineth as well vpon his minde, as vpon his Eſtate. 1613, Francis Bacon, The Eſſaies (second edition), essay 18: “Of Expences”
17. (transitive, intransitive, sports) To hit, kick, head, punch etc. (a ball, puck) away in order to defend one's goal.
    The goalkeeper rushed forward to clear the ball.
    A low cross came in, and Smith cleared.
    Bolton then went even closer when Elmander's cross was met by a bullet header from Holden, which forced a wonderful tip over from Cech before Drogba then cleared the resulting corner off the line. December 29, 2010, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1-0 Bolton”, in BBC
18. (transitive, computing) To reset or unset; to return to an empty state or to zero.
    to clear an array;  to clear a single bit (binary digit) in a value
19. (transitive, computing) To style (an element within a document) so that it is not permitted to float at a given position.
    To get the footer acting right, you need to float it and clear it on both margins. 2010, Andy Harris, HTML, XHTML and CSS All-In-One For Dummies, page 290
20. (transitive, firearms) To unload a firearm, or undergo an unloading procedure, in order to prevent negligent discharge; for safety reasons, to check whether one's firearm is loaded or unloaded.
    To prevent any shooting accidents, remember to clear your pistol and stay aware of your surroundings.

noun

1. (carpentry) Full extent; distance between extreme limits; especially; the distance between the nearest surfaces of two bodies, or the space between walls.
   a room ten feet square in the clear
2. (video games) The completion of a stage or challenge, or of the whole game.
   It took me weeks to achieve a one-credit clear (1CC).
3. (Scientology) A person who is free from the influence of engrams.
   Today, clear status can be conferred only by high ranking ministers of the church, and clears are not presented for examination by outsiders. 1985, Rodney Stark, William Sims Bainbridge, The Future of Religion, page 269