cleanse

[ klenz ]
/ klɛnz /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR cleanse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), cleansed, cleans·ing.

to make clean.
to remove by or as if by cleaning: to cleanse sin from the soul.

verb (used without object), cleansed, cleans·ing.

to become clean.

Origin of cleanse

before 900; Middle English clensen, Old English clǣnsian, equivalent to clǣne clean + -si- v. suffix + -an infinitive suffix

synonym study for cleanse

1. See clean.

OTHER WORDS FROM cleanse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cleanse

clean cleanse (see synonym study at clean)

Words nearby cleanse

cleaning, cleaning woman, cleanliness is next to godliness, cleanly, cleanout, cleanse, cleanser, cleansing tissue, cleanskin, cleanthes, cleanup

Words related to cleanse

purge, restore, disinfect, sanitize, scrub, expurgate, clear, purify, absolve, launder, clarify, sterilize, refine, clean, lustrate, rinse, scour

Example sentences from the Web for cleanse

British Dictionary definitions for cleanse

cleanse
/ (klɛnz) /

verb (tr)

to remove dirt, filth, etc, from
to remove guilt from
to remove a group of people from (an area) by means of ethnic cleansing

Derived forms of cleanse

cleansable, adjective

Word Origin for cleanse

Old English clǣnsian; related to Middle Low German klēnsen; see clean