clear
/ˈklɪə/ adjective, adverb, verb, noun
Forms clearer clearest clears clearing cleared CLR
- adjective Transparent in colour. “as clear as crystal”
- adjective Bright; luminous; not dark or obscured. “The windshield was clear and clean.”
- adjective Free of obstacles. “The driver had mistakenly thought the intersection was clear.”
- adjective Without clouds. “clear weather; a clear day”
- adjective (meteorology) Of the sky, such that less than one eighth of its area is obscured by clouds.
- adjective Free of ambiguity or doubt; easily understood. “He gave clear instructions not to bother him at work.”
- adjective Distinct, sharp, well-marked.
- adjective (figuratively) Free of guilt, or suspicion. “a clear conscience”
- adverb (informal) All the way; entirely. “I threw it clear across the river to the other side.”
- adverb Not near something or touching it. “Stand clear of the rails, a train is coming.”
- adverb Free (or separate) from others.
- adverb In a clear manner; plainly.
- verb (transitive) To remove obstructions, impediments or other unwanted items from. “Police took two hours to clear the road.”
- verb (transitive) To remove (items or material) so as to leave something unobstructed or open. “Please clear all this stuff off the table.”
- verb (intransitive) To leave abruptly; to clear off or clear out.
- verb (intransitive) To become free from obstruction or obscurement; to become transparent. “When the road cleared we continued our journey.”
- verb (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.”
- verb (transitive) To remove from suspicion, especially of having committed a crime. “The court cleared the man of murder.”
- verb (transitive) To pass without interference; to miss. “The door just barely clears the table as it closes.”
- verb (transitive, activities such as jumping or throwing) To exceed a stated mark. “She was the first female high jumper to clear two metres.”
Synonyms
pellucid transparent clear as crystal crystalline diaphanous glassy hyaline hyaloid limpid lucid perspicuous see-through serene transpicuous vitreous cloudless noncloudy unclouded uncloudy apprehensible open unclutter clear up light up brighten authorize authorise pass top shed light on
Antonyms
opaque turbid obscure adumbral blear caliginous cimmerian crepuscular dark darksome darkling dim bounce unclear cloudy
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, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish klar, Dutch klaar, French clair, Italian chiaro, Portuguese claro, Romanian clar, Spanish claro.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Free from opaqueness; transparent; bright; light; luminous; unclouded.
- adjective Free from ambiquity or indistinctness; lucid; perspicuous; plain; evident; manifest; indubitable.
- noun 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.
- adverb In a clear manner; plainly.
Etymology [OE. cler, cleer, OF. cler, F. clair, fr.L. clarus, clear, broght, loud, distinct, renownwd; perh. akin to L. clamare to call, E. claim. Cf. Chanticleer, Clairvoyant, Claret, Clarufy.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “clear”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details