cleanse (kl nz)tr.v. cleansed, cleans·ing, cleans·es To free from dirt, defilement, or guilt; purge or clean. [Middle English clensen, from Old English cl  nsian, from clne, pure, clean.] |
cleanse [klɛnz]
vb (tr)
1. to remove dirt, filth, etc., from
2. to remove guilt from
3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) to remove a group of people from (an area) by means of ethnic cleansing
[Old English clǣnsian; related to Middle Low German klēnsen; see clean]
cleansable adj
cleanse (klɛnz)
v. cleansed, cleans•ing. v.t.
1. to make clean.
2. to remove by or as if by cleaning: to cleanse sin from the soul.
3. to practice ethnic cleansing on; purge.
v.i. 4. to become clean.
[before 900; Middle English clensen, Old English clǣnsian <clǣne clean]
cleans′a•ble, adj.
Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Verb | 1. | cleanse - clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing; "clean up before you see your grandparents"; "clean your fingernails before dinner" bathe - cleanse the entire body; "bathe daily" wash - to cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking; "The cat washes several times a day" douche - direct a spray of water into a bodily cavity, for cleaning floss - use dental floss to clean; "floss your teeth after every meal" decontaminate - rid of contamination; "The soil around the housing development had to be decontaminated by the city" |
| 2. | cleanse - purge of an ideology, bad thoughts, or sins; "Purgatory is supposed to cleanse you from your sins" denazify - free from Nazi ideology or detach from Nazi allegiance; "Germany was denazified after WW II"; "The highest judges were never denazified" |
cleanse
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