clear

Transparent in colour.

Adjective

  1. Transparent in colour.
    • as clear as crystal

    Synonyms: pellucid transparent clear clear as crystal crystalline diaphanous glassy hyaline hyaloid limpid lucid perspicuous see-through serene transpicuous vitreous

    Antonyms: opaque turbid

  2. Bright; luminous; not dark or obscured.
    • The windshield was clear and clean.
    • Congress passed the President’s Clear Skies legislation.

    Antonyms: obscure blear caliginous cimmerian crepuscular dark darksome darkling dim dimpsy dingy dull dusky fuliginous gloomy infernal leaden lightless mirksome murky murksome shady somber sombrous

  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...
  4. Without clouds.
    • clear weather; a clear day
    • 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. - 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in...

    Synonyms: cloudless noncloudy unclouded uncloudy

    Antonyms: cloudy nebulous cloudish cloudlike cloudly foggy foglike fumid hazed hazy infumated mistlike misty nebulose roky smokelike smoky turbid vaporous

  5. 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.
    • She made it clear that she dislike me.
    • I'm still not quite clear on what some of these words mean.

    Synonyms: apprehensible clear limpid comprehensible explainable explicable explicatable fathomable graspable illuminable intelligible lucid pellucid perspicuous straightforward tangible understandable direct explicit express monosemic monosemous patent plain

    Antonyms: abstruse Chinese dense enigmatic fathomless Greek inapprehensible incognizable incomprehensible ineffable inenubilable inexplicable impenetrable insensible inscrutable insoluble insolvable mysterious nonunderstandable obscure retruse tenebrose thick undecipherable

  7. Distinct, sharp, well-marked.

    Synonyms: conspicuous acute distinct keen obvious sharp vivid

  8. 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...

    Synonyms: blameless clean pure clean-handed clean as a hound's tooth clean as a whistle clear dovelike guiltless innocent innocent as the babe unborn innocent as the child unborn irreprehensible nonblameworthy not guilty offenseless righteous sackless sinless unblameable unblameworthy uncalculating unguilty

  9. Without a thickening ingredient.

    Antonyms: thick

  10. Possessing little or no perceptible stimulus.
    • clear of texture; clear of odor
  11. 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 straightforwardly; keen; acute; penetrating; discriminating.
    • a clear intellect; a clear head
    • Mother of Science, Now I feel thy Power Within me cleere, not onely to diſcerne Things in thir Cauſes, but to trace the wayes Of higheſt Agents - 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel...

Origin

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, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish klar, Dutch klaar, French clair, Italian chiaro, Portuguese claro, Romanian clar, Spanish claro.

Forms

clearer clearest CLR

Related

clarity in the clear

Derived

all-clear all clear as clear as a bell as clear as day as clear as mud clear-air turbulence clear and convincing evidence clear as a bell clear as a mirror clear as crystal clear as day clear as mud clear as print clear as the sun at noonday clear blue water clear-channel clearcoat Clear Creek clear cut clear-cut clear-eyed cleareyed clear game clearheaded

Adverb

  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. - 2010 December 29,...
  4. In a clear manner; plainly.
    • Now clear I understand What oft my steadiest thoughts have searched in vain - 1667, John Milton, “Book XII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert...
    • 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:

Forms

CLR

Derived

steer clear

Noun

  1. Empty or open area.
    • The deer were standing in the clear.
  2. 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
  3. The completion of a stage or challenge, or of the whole game.
    • It took me weeks to achieve a one-credit clear (1CC).
  4. A person who is free from the influence of engrams.
    • Neither of them had heard of Kelly or Kalki, but then neither of them had heard of Horace, Alexander Pope, [Blaise] Pascal, [Denis] Diderot, [Werner] Heisenberg’s law or entropy. Their lives were spent, successfully,...
    • 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...

Forms

clears CLR

Related

in the clear

Verb

  1. 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.
    • “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...
  2. 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...

    Synonyms: stub

  3. To leave abruptly; to clear off or clear out.
    • Then the whole population cleared into the forest, expecting all kinds of calamities to happen, while, on the other hand, the steamer Fresleven commanded left also in a bad panic, in charge of the engineer, I believe. -...
  4. 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. 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. 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:

    Synonyms: absolve exonerate vindicate acquittance assoil assoilzie acquit clear disculp disculpate exculpate

  7. To pass without interference; to miss.
    • The door just barely clears the table as it closes.
    • The leaping horse easily cleared the hurdles.
    • If we stay on this course we should clear the buoy.
  8. To exceed a stated mark.
    • She was the first female high jumper to clear two metres.
  9. To finish or complete (a stage, challenge, or game).
    • I cleared the first level in 36 seconds.
  10. 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. 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. 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.

Forms

clears clearing cleared CLR

Derived

bench-clearing brawl clearable clearage clearance clear away clearcut clearcutter clearcutting cleardown clearing clearing agent clearing nut clearing saw clearing station clear off clear one's lines clear one's throat clear out clear round clear someone's name clear the air clear the decks clear the ground clear the market