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free from darkness, obscurity, or cloudiness; light:
a clear day.
transparent; pellucid:
clear water.
without discoloration, defect, or blemish:
a clear complexion; a clear pane of gl-ss.
of a pure, even color:
a clear yellow.
easily seen; sharply defined:
a clear outline.
distinctly perceptible to the ear; easily heard:
a clear sound.
free from ho-rs-, harsh, or rasping qualities:
a clear voice; clear as a bell.
easily understood; without ambiguity:
clear, concise answers.
entirely comprehensible; completely understood:
the ultimate causes of inflation may never be clear.
distinct; evident; plain:
a clear case of misbehavior.
free from confusion, uncertainty, or doubt:
clear thinking.
perceiving or discerning distinctly:
a clear mind.
convinced; certain:
he was not clear on the first point that she made but agreed with the others.
free from anything that would disturb or blame:
a clear conscience.
free from suspicion of guilt or complicity:
she was entirely clear of the crime until one of her accomplices turned informer.
serene; calm; untroubled:
a clear brow.
free from obstructions or obstacles; open:
a clear view; a clear path.
free from entanglement or contact:
he kept clear of her after the argument. she managed to keep her dress clear of the mud.
without limitation or qualification; absolute:
a clear victory.
free from obligation, liability, or debt:
after twenty years, our house is clear of the mortgage. munic-p-l bonds were returning as much as 9 percent, clear of taxes.
without deduction or diminution:
a clear $1000 after taxes.
freed or emptied of contents, cargo, etc.
(of tree trunks or timber) free from branches, knots, or other protruding or rough parts:
the trunk was clear for 20 feet above the ground.
phonetics.

(of an l- sound) having front-vowel resonance; situated before a vowel in the same syllable.
compare dark (def 16a).
(of a speech sound) produced without frication or aspiration.

(in cryptography) not coded or enciphered.
compare plaintext.
bright; shining:
a clear flame.
obsolete, ill-strious.
in a clear or distinct manner; clearly.
so as not to be in contact with or near; away (often followed by of):
stand clear of the closing doors.
entirely; completely; clean:
to cut a piece clear off; to climb clear to the top; to run clear off the road.
to remove people or objects from (usually followed by of):
to clear a courtroom of photographers; to clear the table of dishes.
to remove (people or objects) (usually followed by from):
to clear the photographers from the courtroom; to clear the dishes from the table.
to make clear, transparent, or pellucid; free from cloudiness or impurities:
to clear a liquid by means of a filter.
to make free of confusion, doubt, or uncertainty:
he spoke to his supervisor to clear his mind about their working relationship.
to make understandable or lucid; free from ambiguity or obscurity:
she rephrased the report in order to clear the essential points.
to make (a path, road, etc.) by removing any obstruction:
he had to cut away the underbrush to clear a path.
to eat all the food on:
to clear one’s plate.
to relieve (the throat) of some obstruction, as phlegm, by forcing air through the larynx, usually producing a rasping sound.
to make a similar rasping noise in (the throat), as to express disapproval or to attract attention.
to remove from (the brow) any traces of tension or anxiety, as folds or wrinkles.
to free of anything defamatory or discrediting:
to clear one’s name.
to free from suspicion, accusation, or imputation of guilt; prove or declare innocent:
the jury cleared the defendant of the charge.
to remove instructions or data from (a computer, calculator, etc.).
to p-ss by or over without contact or entanglement:
the ship cleared the reef. the fisherman cleared his line.
to p-ss through or away from:
the ship cleared the harbor. the bill cleared the senate.
to p-ss (checks or other commercial paper) through a clearinghouse.
(of mail, telephone calls, etc.) to process, handle, reroute, etc.:
the dispatcher clears hundreds of items each day.
to free from debt:
just a few dollars more would clear him. the widow had to borrow money to clear her husband’s estate.
to gain as clear profit:
to clear $1000 in a transaction.
to pay (a debt) in full.
to receive authorization before taking action on:
you’ll have to clear your plan with headquarters.
to give clearance to; authorize:
the chairperson has to clear our speeches before the meeting.
to authorize (a person, agency, etc.) to use cl-ssified information, doc-ments, etc.:
he has finally been cleared for highly cl-ssified information.
to remove trees, buildings, or other obstructions from (land), as for farming or construction.
to free (a ship, cargo, etc.) from legal detention at a port by satisfying customs and other requirements.
to try or otherwise dispose of (the cases awaiting court action):
to clear the docket.
(of a commodity) to buy up or sell out the existing supply of.
skin diving. to drain or expel unwanted water in:
to clear a snorkel by sharp exhalations; to clear a regulator and face mask while underwater.
bridge. to establish one or more winning cards in (a given suit) by leading the suit until all the outstanding cards have been drawn:
he cleared the heart suit before attacking spades.
to become clear.
to exchange checks and bills, and settle balances, as in a clearinghouse.
to become free from doubt, anxiety, misunderstanding, etc.:
his mind cleared when he heard the truth.
to p-ss an authority for review, approval, etc.:
the bill must clear through the -ssembly before it becomes legal.
to remove dishes, food, etc., from a table following a meal:
is it my turn to clear?
to remove previously inserted instructions or data from a computer, calculator, typewriter, or the like.
nautical.

to comply with customs and other requirements legally imposed on entering or leaving a port (often followed by in or out).
to leave port after having complied with such requirements.

(of a commodity for sale) to sell out; become bought out:
wheat cleared rapidly.
a clear or un-bstructed sp-ce.
plaintext.
a piece of clear lumber.
clear away/off,

to remove in order to make room.
to leave; escape:
we were warned to clear off before the floods came.
to disappear; vanish:
when the smoke cleared away, we saw that the house was in ruins.

clear out,

to remove the contents of:
clear out the closet.
to remove; take away:
clear out your clothes from the closet.
to go away, especially quickly or abruptly.
to drive or force out:
the police cleared out the pickets by force.

clear up,

to make clear; explain; solve.
to put in order; tidy up.
to become better or brighter, as the weather.

in the clear,

absolved of blame or guilt; free:
he was suspected of the theft, but evidence put him in the clear.
en clair.

contemporary examples

the ‘redstate women’ wooing scheme mich-lle cottle april 1, 2014
the flight 370 zombie theory rises from the dead clive irving june 25, 2014
bp leaves immigrants high and dry brentin mock may 16, 2010
despite the great recession, obama’s new coalition of elites has thrived joel kotkin october 31, 2012
aleppo conflict map shows -ssad’s control by neighborhood david kilcullen, nate rosenblatt march 9, 2014

historical examples

proceedings of the second national conservation congress various
moon lore timothy harley
legends of the bastille frantz funck-brentano
blackwood’s edinburgh magazine, volume 58, number 358, august 1845 various
the psychology of arithmetic edward l. thorndike

adjective
free from darkness or obscurity; bright
(of weather) free from dullness or clouds
transparent: clear water
even and pure in tone or colour: clear blue
without discoloration, blemish, or defect: a clear skin
easy to see or hear; distinct
free from doubt or confusion: his instructions are not clear
(postpositive) certain in the mind; sure: are you clear?
(in combination) perceptive, alert: clear-headed
evident or obvious: it is clear that he won’t come now
(of sounds or the voice) not harsh or ho-rs-
serene; calm
without qualification or limitation; complete: a clear victory
free of suspicion, guilt, or blame: a clear conscience
free of obstruction; open: a clear p-ssage
free from debt or obligation
(of money, profits, etc) without deduction; net
emptied of freight or cargo
(of timber) having a smooth, unblemished surface
also in clear. (of a message, etc) not in code
(phonetics) also light. denoting an (l) in whose articulation the main part of the tongue is brought forward giving the sound of a front-vowel timbre
(showjumping) (of a round) ridden without any fences being knocked down or any points being lost
adverb
in a clear or distinct manner
completely or utterly
(postpositive) often foll by of. not in contact (with); free: stand clear of the gates
noun
a clear sp-ce
another word for clearance
in the clear

free of suspicion, guilt, or blame
(sport) able to receive a p-ss without being tackled

verb
to make or become free from darkness, obscurity, etc
(intransitive)

(of the weather) to become free from dullness, fog, rain, etc
(of mist, fog, etc) to disappear

(transitive) to free from impurity or blemish
(transitive) to free from doubt or confusion: to clear one’s mind
(transitive) to rid of objects, obstructions, etc
(transitive) to make or form (a path, way, etc) by removing obstructions
(transitive) to free or remove (a person or thing) from something, such as suspicion, blame, or guilt
(transitive) to move or p-ss by or over without contact or involvement: he cleared the wall easily
(transitive) to rid (the throat) of phlegm or obstruction
(transitive) to make or gain (money) as profit
(transitive) often foll by off. to discharge or settle (a debt)
(transitive) to free (a debtor) from obligation
(intransitive) (of a cheque) to p-ss through one’s bank and be charged against one’s account
(banking) to settle accounts by exchanging (commercial doc-ments) in a clearing house
to permit (ships, aircraft, cargo, p-ssengers, etc) to unload, disembark, depart, etc, after fulfilling the customs and other requirements, or (of ships, etc) to be permitted to unload, etc
to obtain or give (clearance)
(transitive) to obtain clearance from
(transitive) (microscopy) to make (specimens) transparent by immersion in a fluid such as xylene
(transitive) to permit (a person, company, etc) to see or handle cl-ssified information
(transitive) (military)

to achieve transmission of (a signalled message) and acknowledgment of its receipt at its destination
to decode (a message, etc)

(transitive) (sport) to hit, kick, carry, or throw (the ball) out of the defence area
(transitive) (computing) to remove data from a storage device and replace it with particular characters that usually indicate zero
(transitive) (nz) to remove (trees, scrub, etc) from land
clear the air, see air (sense 11)
clear the decks, to prepare for action, as by removing obstacles from a field of activity or combat
adj.
v.
adv.

clear as a bell
clear as crystal
clear as mud
clear away
clear off
clear one’s name
clear out
clear the air
clear the decks
clear the table
clear up
clear with