cleanse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make clean.
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to remove by or as if by cleaning.
to cleanse sin from the soul.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to remove dirt, filth, etc, from
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to remove guilt from
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to remove a group of people from (an area) by means of ethnic cleansing
Related Words
See clean.
Other Word Forms
- cleansable adjective
- recleanse verb (used with object)
- uncleansable adjective
- uncleansed adjective
- well-cleansed adjective
Etymology
Origin of cleanse
before 900; Middle English clensen, Old English clǣnsian, equivalent to clǣne clean + -si- v. suffix + -an infinitive suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I tried to do a juice cleanse in college and by Day 2 I wanted to die.
From Los Angeles Times
Now, Ali performs "wudu" -- the Islamic cleansing ritual -- before every drive, in the hope of divine protection.
From Barron's
Once, they brought in a shaman to cleanse the house with sage and cedar during a full blood moon.
From Los Angeles Times
This cleansing helps curb inflammation and keeps the brain working properly.
“No power, no justification, and no time can cleanse this great tragedy.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
