clear

I UK [klɪə(r)] / US [klɪr] adjective
Word forms "clear":
adjective clear comparative clearer superlative clearest
***

1) obvious and impossible to doubt

clear evidence:

There was clear evidence putting him at the scene of the crime.

a clear indication:

His secretary could give no clear indication of when he was expected back.

a clear case:

It appears to be a clear case of discrimination.

a clear favourite:

They have always been the clear favourites to win the championship.

clear (that):

It was very clear that something was worrying him.

it is not clear whether:

It is not clear whether Johnson's brother shares these views.

2) easy to understand

Clear instructions are provided.

make something clear:

He's made his intentions quite clear.

abundantly/perfectly clear:

Anthony had made it abundantly clear that he did not want to see her.

get something clear:

Let's get something absolutely clear: you're not going to get any help from me this time.

3) easy to hear

"I did it," she said in a clear voice.

4) transparent

a clear glass bottle

5) easy to see

Though the picture was small, it was clear and sharp.

6) not confused

He defines logic as "the art of clear thinking".

Jane had no clear idea where she would go.

be clear about/on something:

You need to be clear about the purpose of the meeting.

I'm not very clear on what this last sentence means.

be clear in your mind (about something):

I'm completely clear in my mind about what happened that day.

7) if a surface, road, or passage is clear, there is nothing on it that blocks it or gets in the way

From the window there was a clear view of the mountains.

clear of:

All the main roads are now clear of snow.

8) if the sky or the weather is clear, there are no clouds, rain etc

clear blue skies

bright and clear:

The following Sunday was bright and clear.

9) clear eyes are bright and healthy

10) clear skin is smooth and healthy

11) not affected by guilty feelings

someone's conscience is clear:

She had done her duty, and her conscience was clear.

have a clear conscience:

I have a clear conscience. We didn't do anything wrong.

12) not touching something or not too close to it

clear of:

Make sure your hands are completely clear of the blades.

13) winning by a particular distance or number of points in a race or competition

clear of:

They are now four points clear of their nearest rivals.

14) left after taxes, charges, or costs have been paid

a clear £50/£100/£1,000 etc:

That should leave us with a clear £300.

I made a clear £50 profit.

15) if a medical test is clear, it shows that there is nothing wrong

All the tests came back clear.

16) if a period of time is clear, you have not arranged to do anything during it

I'll keep Thursday afternoon clear in case we need to meet.

17) [only before noun] British complete

a clear fifteen minutes/two hours etc:

There was still a clear fifteen minutes before the others arrived.

•

be (as) clear as a bell — to be very easy to hear

be (as) clear as day — to be very easy to see or understand, or to be impossible to doubt

I remember it as clear as day.

be (as) clear as mud — humorous to be very difficult to understand

His explanation was as clear as mud.

is that clear?/do I make myself clear? — used for emphasizing your authority over someone when you are telling them to do something

You are not to see him again. Is that clear?

- clear blue water

See:

the all clear, coast I, crystal clear, head I, loud II, see I

II UK [klɪə(r)] / US [klɪr] verb
Word forms "clear":
present tense I/you/we/they clear he/she/it clears present participle clearing past tense cleared past participle cleared
***

1)

a) [transitive] to remove people or things from a place where they are not wanted

Millions of acres of tropical forest have been cleared.

clear something from something:

Julia began to clear the dishes from the table.

clear something of something:

The ground should first be cleared of weeds.

clear a space for someone/something:

He cleared a space on his desk for a cup of coffee.

b) [intransitive] if a place clears, the people in it leave it

The room cleared quickly after the final speeches.

2)

a) [transitive] to remove something that is blocking a place such as a road or passage

The police cleared a way through to the front of the building.

b) [intransitive] to stop being blocked

Eventually the roads cleared and the traffic began to flow again.

3) [transitive, usually passive] to prove officially that someone did not do something wrong

be cleared of something:

The two men were cleared of murder yesterday.

4) [intransitive] if the sky or the weather clears, the weather becomes brighter and there are no more clouds, rain etc

5) [intransitive] if something such as smoke clears, it starts to disappear

They waited while the mist cleared a little.

6) [intransitive] if a liquid clears, it becomes transparent after being filled with extremely small pieces of a substance

7) [intransitive] if your skin clears, it starts to become smooth and healthy again

8) [intransitive] if someone's face clears, they stop looking annoyed, upset, or confused

She frowned for a moment, then her brow cleared.

9) [intransitive/transitive] if your mind or head clears, or if it is cleared, it stops being confused, tired, or affected by something such as alcohol

clear something of something:

Clear your mind of all negative thoughts.

10) [transitive] to go over, under, or past an object without touching it

One horse failed to clear the gate and was injured.

clear something by 2 metres/ 6 inches etc:

The aircraft cleared the houses by only a few metres.

11) [intransitive/transitive] if a cheque clears, or if a bank clears it, the bank allows the money to be used

How long will the cheque take to clear?

12) [transitive] to give or obtain official permission for something to happen

clear something with someone:

You'll have to clear this project with head office.

a) to give a plane, ship, or person permission to enter or leave a place

clear something for something:

After half an hour the plane was cleared for take-off.

b) to obtain permission to enter a country or take something into a country after being checked by officials

clear immigration/customs/passport control:

Delays are often reported by passengers waiting to clear customs.

clear something through customs:

Someone from the embassy helped us to clear our baggage through customs.

13) [transitive] to pay back all of the money that you owe to the person you borrowed it from

clear a debt:

Try to clear your existing debts first.

14) [transitive] informal to earn a particular amount of money after paying taxes, charges, or costs

He clears about £500 a week.

15) [transitive] to deal successfully with a problem

clear an obstacle:

The company has cleared the main obstacle to concluding the sale.

clear a hurdle:

The first hurdle to clear is persuading investors of the merits of the product.

16) [transitive] to do all the work that you have to do

clear a backlog:

Extra staff have had to be brought in to clear the backlog.

17) [intransitive/transitive] if you clear a ball, or if it clears in a game such as football, you succeed in kicking or hitting it away from your goal

•

clear the way/ground for something — to do what needs to be done so that something can happen without any problems

The new law cleared the way for polytechnics to become universities.

- clear the air

- clear the decks

- clear your desk

- clear someone's name

- clear your throat

Phrasal verbs:

- clear away

- clear off

- clear out

- clear up

- clear up after

See:

table I

III UK [klɪə(r)] / US [klɪr] adverb
Word forms "clear":
comparative clearer superlative clearest
*

completely away from something, or out of the way

Stan grabbed her hands and pulled her clear.

clear of:

Stand clear of the closing doors.

•

clear to/across/down etc — all the way to/across/down etc

The explosion blew them clear across the room.

keep/stay/steer clear of — to avoid someone or something unpleasant or dangerous

No one mentioned the divorce, so Lisa decided to steer clear of that subject.

IV UK [klɪə(r)] / US [klɪr] noun

- in the clear