I.
present part of clean
II. noun
( -s )
1. Britain : cleansing 2 — usually used in plural
2. cleanings plural : things collected by cleaning
3. slang : a decisive defeat
gave the visiting team a cleaning
also : a total loss of resources in a business venture or in speculation or gambling
got a good cleaning on the stock market
4. : a thinning of a young stand (as of trees)
5. : a large profit or gain : killing
makes his little cleaning and then leaves us all flat — George Abbott & J.C.Holm