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Webster 1913 Edition

Clear

Clear

(klēr)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Clearer
(-ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Clearest
.]
[OE.
cler
,
cleer
, OF.
cler
, F.
clair
, fr.L.
clarus
, clear, bright, loud, distinct, renowned; perh. akin to L.
clamare
to call, E.
claim
. Cf.
Chanticleer
,
Clairvoyant
,
Claret
,
Clarify
.]
1.
Free from opaqueness; transparent; bright; light; luminous; unclouded.
The stream is so transparent, pure, and
clear
.
Denham.
Fair as the moon,
clear
as the sun.
Canticles vi. 10.
2.
Free from ambiguity or indistinctness; lucid; perspicuous; plain; evident; manifest; indubitable.
One truth is
clear
; whatever is, is right.
Pope.
3.
Able to perceive clearly; keen; acute; penetrating; discriminating;
as, a
clear
intellect; a
clear
head
.
Mother of science! now I feel thy power
Within me
clear
, not only to discern
Things in their causes, but to trace the ways
Of highest agents.
Milton.
4.
Not clouded with passion; serene; cheerful.
With a countenance as
clear

As friendship wears at feasts.
Shakespeare
5.
Easily or distinctly heard; audible; canorous.
Hark! the numbers soft and
clear

Gently steal upon the ear.
Pope.
6.
Without mixture; entirely pure;
as,
clear
sand
.
7.
Without defect or blemish, such as freckles or knots;
as, a
clear
complexion;
clear
lumber
.
8.
Free from guilt or stain; unblemished.
Statesman, yet friend to truth! in soul sincere,
In action faithful, and in honor
clear
.
Pope.
9.
Without diminution; in full; net;
as,
clear
profit
.
I often wished that I had
clear
,
For life, six hundred pounds a-year.
Swift
.
10.
Free from impediment or obstruction; unobstructed;
as, a
clear
view; to keep
clear
of debt
.
My companion . . . left the way
clear
for him.
Addison.
11.
Free from embarrassment; detention, etc.
The cruel corporal whispered in my ear,
Five pounds, if rightly tipped, would set me
clear
.
Gay.
Syn. – Manifest; pure; unmixed; pellucid; transparent; luminous; obvious; visible; plain; evident; apparent; distinct; perspicuous. See
Manifest
.

Clear

(klēr)
,
Noun.
(Carp.)
Full extent; distance between extreme limits; especially; the distance between the nearest surfaces of two bodies, or the space between walls;
as, a room ten feet square in the
clear
.

Clear

,
adv.
1.
In a clear manner; plainly.
Now
clear
I understand
What oft . . . thoughts have searched in vain.
Milton.
2.
Without limitation; wholly; quite; entirely;
as, to cut a piece
clear
off
.

Clear

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Cleared
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Clearing
.]
1.
To render bright, transparent, or undimmed; to free from clouds.
He sweeps the skies and
clears
the cloudy north.
Dryden.
2.
To free from impurities; to clarify; to cleanse.
3.
To free from obscurity or ambiguity; to relive of perplexity; to make perspicuous.
Many knotty points there are
Which all discuss, but few can
clear
.
Prior.
4.
To render more quick or acute, as the understanding; to make perspicacious.
Our common prints would
clear
up their understandings.
Addison
5.
To free from impediment or incumbrance, from defilement, or from anything injurious, useless, or offensive;
as, to
clear
land of trees or brushwood, or from stones; to
clear
the sight or the voice; to
clear
one’s self from debt
; – often used with of, off, away, or out.
Clear
your mind of cant.
Dr. Johnson.
A statue lies hid in a block of marble; and the art of the statuary only
clears
away the superfluous matter.
Addison.
6.
To free from the imputation of guilt; to justify, vindicate, or acquit; – often used with from before the thing imputed.
I . . . am sure he will
clear
me from partiality.
Dryden.
How! wouldst thou
clear
rebellion?
Addison.
7.
To leap or pass by, or over, without touching or failure;
as, to
clear
a hedge; to
clear
a reef
.
8.
To gain without deduction; to net.
The profit which she
cleared
on the cargo.
Macaulay.
To clear a ship at the customhouse
,
to exhibit the documents required by law, give bonds, or perform other acts requisite, and procure a permission to sail, and such papers as the law requires.
–
To clear a ship for action
, or
To clear for action
(Naut.)
,
to remove incumbrances from the decks, and prepare for an engagement.
–
To clear the land
(Naut.)
,
to gain such a distance from shore as to have sea room, and be out of danger from the land.
–
To clear hawse
(Naut.)
,
to disentangle the cables when twisted.
–
To clear up
,
to explain; to dispel, as doubts, cares or fears.

Clear

(klēr)
,
Verb.
I.
1.
To become free from clouds or fog; to become fair; – of the weather; – often followed by
up
,
off
, or
away
.
So foul a sky
clears
not without a storm.
Shakespeare
Advise him to stay till the weather
clears
up.
Swift.
3.
To disengage one's self from incumbrances, distress, or entanglements; to become free.
[Obs.]
He that
clears
at once will relapse; for finding himself out of straits, he will revert to his customs; but he that
cleareth
by degrees induceth a habit of frugality.
Bacon.
3.
(Banking)
To make exchanges of checks and bills, and settle balances, as is done in a clearing house.
4.
To obtain a clearance;
as, the steamer
cleared
for Liverpool to-day
.
To clear out
,
to go or run away; to depart.
[Colloq.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Clear

CLEAR

, a.
1.
Open; free from obstruction; as a clear plat of ground; the way is clear.
2.
Free from clouds, or fog; serene; as a clear day.
3.
Free from foreign matter; unmixed; pure; as clear water; clear sand; clear air; clear glass.
4.
Free from any thing that creates doubt or uncertainty; apparent; evident; manifest; not obscure; conspicuous; that is, open to the mind; as, the reason is clear.
5.
Unclouded; luminous; not obscured; as a clear sun; a clear shining after a rain. 2 Sam. 23.
6.
Unobstructed; unobscured; as a clear view.
7.
Perspicacious; sharp; as a clear sight.
8.
Not clouded with care, or ruffled by passion; cheerful; serene; as a clear aspect.
9.
Evident; undeniable; indisputable; as the victory was clear.
10.
Quick to understand; prompt; acute.
Mother of science, now I feel thy power within me clear.
11.
Free from guilt or blame; innocent; unspotted; irreproachable. 2 Cor. 7.
In action faithful, and in honor clear.
12.
Free from bias; unprepossessed; not preoccupied; impartial; as a clear judgment.
13.
Free from debt, or obligation; not liable to prosecution; as, to be clear of debt or responsibility.
14.
Free from deductions, or charges; as clear gain or profit.
15.
Not entangled; unembarrassed; free; as, the cable is clear. A ship is clear, when she is so remote from shore or other object, as to be out of danger of striking, or to have sea room sufficient.
16.
Open; distinct; not jarring, or harsh; as a clear sound; a clear voice.
17.
Liberated; freed; acquitted of charges; as, a man has been tried and got clear.
18.
Free from spots or any thing that disfigures; as a clear skin.
Clear is followed by from or by of.
Thou shalt be clear from this my oath. Gen. 24.
The air is clear of damp exhalations.

CLEAR

, adv.
1.
Plainly; not obscurely; manifestly.
2.
Clean; quite; entirely; wholly; indicating entire separation; as, to cut a piece clear off; to go clear away; but in this sense its use is not elegant.
Clear or in the clear, among joiners and carpenters, denotes the space within walls, or length and breadth clear or exclusive of the thickness of the wall.

CLEAR

, v.t.
1.
To make clear; to fine; to remove any thing foreign; to separate from any foul matter; to purify; to clarify; as, to clear liquors.
2.
To free from obstructions; as, to clear the road.
3.
To free from any thing noxious or injurious; as, to clear the ocean of pirates; to clear the land of enemies.
4.
To remove any incumbrance, or embarrassment; often followed by off or away; as, to clear off debts; to clear away rubbish.
5.
To free; to liberate, or disengage; to exonerate; as, to clear a man from debt, obligation, or duty.
6.
To cleanse; as, to clear the hands from filth; to clear the bowels.
7.
To remove any thing that obscures, as clouds or fog; to make bright; as, to clear the sky; sometimes followed by up.
8.
To free from obscurity, perplexity or ambiguity; as, to clear a question or theory; to clear up a case or point.
9.
To urge from the imputation of guilt; to justify or vindicate.
How shall we clear ourselves? Gen. 44.
That will by no means clear the guilty. Ex. 34.
10.
In a legal sense, to acquit on trial, by verdict; as, the prisoner has been tried and cleared.
11.
To make gain or profit, beyond all expenses and charges; as, to clear ten percent by a sale of goods, or by a voyage.
12.
To remove wood from land. To cut down trees, remove or burn them, and prepare land for tillage or pasture; as, to clear land for wheat.

CLEAR

, v.i.
1.
To become free from clouds or fog; to become fair; often followed by up, off, or away; as, the sky clears; the weather clears up; it clears away; it clears off.
2.
To be disengaged from incumbrances, distress or entanglements; to become free or disengaged.
He that clears at once will relapse.

Definition 2024

Clear

Clear

See also: clear

English

Noun

Clear ‎(uncountable)

  1. (Scientology) An idea state of beingness free of unwanted influences.

Anagrams

clear

clear

See also: Clear

English

Alternative forms

  • CLR (contraction used in electronics)

Adjective

clear ‎(comparative clearer, superlative clearest)

  1. Transparent in colour.
    as clear as crystal‎
  2. Bright, 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.‎
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      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.
  4. Without clouds.
    clear weather;  a clear day‎
    • 1915, Emerson Hough, The Purchase Price, chapterI:
      Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.
  5. (meteorology) Of the sky, such that less than one eighth of its area is obscured by clouds.
  6. Free of ambiguity or doubt.
    He gave clear instructions not to bother him at work.‎
    Do I make myself clear? Crystal clear.‎
    I'm still not quite clear on what some of these words mean.‎
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      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.
  7. Distinct, sharp, well-marked.
  8. (figuratively) Free of guilt, or suspicion.
    a clear conscience‎
    • Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
      Statesman, yet friend to truth! in soul sincere, / In action faithful, and in honour clear.
  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).
  12. Able to perceive clearly; keen; acute; penetrating; discriminating.
    a clear intellect;  a clear head‎
    • John Milton (1608-1674)
      Mother of science! now I feel thy power / Within me clear, not only to discern / Things in their causes, but to trace the ways / Of highest agents.
  13. Not clouded with passion; serene; cheerful.
    • William Shakespeare (c.1564–1616)
      With a countenance as clear / As friendship wears at feasts.
  14. Easily or distinctly heard; audible.
    • Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
      Hark! the numbers soft and clear / Gently steal upon the ear.
  15. Unmixed; entirely pure.
    clear sand‎
  16. Without defects or blemishes, such as freckles or knots.
    a clear complexion;  clear lumber‎
  17. Without diminution; in full; net.
    a clear profit‎
    • Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)
      I often wished that I had clear, / For life, six hundred pounds a year.

Antonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adverb

clear ‎(not comparable)

  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
    • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
      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.
  4. (obsolete) In a clear manner; plainly.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Milton
      Now clear I understand.
    • 1988, Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses:
      I want you to know how he spoke: he spoke loud, and he spoke clear.
    • 1992, Orson Scott Card, Cruel Miracles:
      Can't they see for themselves? Course not. Looks like dust to them, so they can't see it clear at all
    • 2005, Sammatha Crosby Scott, There's a War Inside of Me, page 111:
      I would get very short with people and speak clear of my feelings without consideration of their feelings.
    • 2009, Stephen James Shore, Annalea A Princess in Exile, page 160:
      Then I heard clear your mother's voice, crying out in distress!
    • 2010, Jack Mayatt, A Better Man: An Inspirational Book, page 20:
      Now when God called him, Moses told God immediately that he could not speak clear enough to be this leader.

Translations

Verb

clear ‎(third-person singular simple present clears, present participle clearing, simple past and past participle cleared)

  1. (transitive) To remove obstructions or impediments from.
    • 1715–8, Matthew Prior, “Alma: or, The Progreſs of the Mind” in Poems on Several Occaſions (1741), canto III, p.297:
      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.
    • Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
      A statue lies hid in a block of marble; and the art of the statuary only clears away the superfluous matter.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 7, in The China Governess:
      ‘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. […]’
    • 2013 June 29, “Unspontaneous combustion”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 29:
      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.
  2. (ergative) To become freed from obstructions.
    When the road cleared we continued our journey.‎
    • 1907, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “chapter IX”, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 4241346:
      “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, […].
  3. (transitive) To eliminate ambiguity or doubt from a matter; to clarify; especially, to clear up.
  4. (transitive) To remove from suspicion, especially of having committed a crime.
    The court cleared the man of murder.‎
    • John Dryden (1631-1700)
      I […] am sure he will clear me from partiality.
    • Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
      Wouldst thou clear rebellion?
  5. (transitive) To pass without interference; to miss.
    The door just barely clears the table as it closes.  The leaping horse easily cleared the hurdles.‎
  6. (intransitive) To become clear.
    After a heavy rain, the sky cleared nicely for the evening.‎
  7. (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.‎
  8. (transitive, business) To earn a profit of; to net.
    He's been clearing seven thousand a week.‎
  9. (transitive) To obtain permission to use (a sample of copyrighted audio) in another track.
  10. To disengage oneself from incumbrances, distress, or entanglements; to become free.
    • 1613, Francis Bacon, The Eſſaies (second edition), essay 18: “Of Expences”:
      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.
  11. To obtain a clearance.
    The steamer cleared for Liverpool today.‎
  12. (sports) To defend by hitting (or kicking, throwing, heading etc.) the ball (or puck) from the defending goal.
    • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1-0 Bolton”, in BBC:
      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.
  13. To fell all trees of a forest.
  14. (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

Synonyms

  • (clear a forest): stub

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

clear ‎(plural clears)

  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. (cryptology) State of being unenciphered. (In the clear: Not enciphered.)

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: change · happy · hours · #510: clear · pretty · except · sound

Anagrams

Etymology

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”)).

Pronunciation

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