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the act of clearing.
the distance between two objects; an amount of clear sp-ce:
the bridge allowed a clearance of 37 feet at mean high water.
a formal authorization permitting access to cl-ssified information, doc-ments, etc.
also called clearance sale. the disposal of merchandise at reduced prices to make room for new goods:
he bought the coat for half price at a clearance.
a clear sp-ce; a clearing:
the house stood in a clearance among the trees.
banking. an exchange of checks and other commercial paper drawn on members of a clearinghouse, usually effected at a daily meeting of the members.
machinery. a sp-ce between two moving parts, left to avoid clashing or to permit relatively free motion.
the angle between a face of a cutting tool, as a lathe tool, and the work.
nautical.

the clearing of a ship at a port.
also called clearance papers. the official papers certifying this.

medicine/medical. a test of the excretory function of the kidneys based on the volume of blood that is cleared of a specific substance per minute by renal excretion.
contemporary examples

roland burris: ex-senator who briefly filled obama seat still nursing wounds david freedlander february 15, 2013
let the military mouth off! christopher brownfield july 5, 2010
which senator put a hold on veterans benefits bill? jamie reno september 27, 2012
our dangerously bad bureaucracy david frum february 20, 2013
booz allen keeps winning government security contracts after snowden leak filipa ioannou august 14, 2013

historical examples

tea leaves various
kent knowles: quahaug joseph c. lincoln
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 12, slice 1 various
a yankee flier over berlin al avery
the life of lyman trumbull horace white

noun

the process or an instance of clearing: slum clearance
(as modifier): a clearance order

sp-ce between two parts in motion or in relative motion
permission for an aircraft, ship, p-ssengers, etc, to proceed
official permission to have access to secret information, projects, areas, etc
(banking) the exchange of commercial doc-ments drawn on the members of a clearing house

the disposal of merchandise at reduced prices
(as modifier): a clearance sale

(sport)

the act of hitting or kicking a ball out of the defensive area, as in football
an instance of this

the act of clearing an area of land of its inhabitants by m-ss eviction see highland clearances
(dentistry) the extraction of all of a person’s teeth
a less common word for clearing
n.