CLEAR

I. ˈkli(ə)r, -iə adjective

( -er/-est )

Etymology: Middle English clere, from Old French cler, from Latin clarus clear, bright, loud, distinct, renowned; akin to Latin calare to call — more at low

1.

a.

(1) : shining brightly : gleaming, lustrous

bonfires clear and bright — Shakespeare

(2) : entirely light : undimmed , undarkened , bright

it is almost clear dawn — Shakespeare

b.

(1) : having the sky free from clouds

watching the stars on clear nights

: having the air free from mist, haze, or dust

on a clear day one could see for miles

(2) meteorology : relating to the sky when it is less than one-tenth covered with clouds

(3) : unclouded or serene as if undisturbed by doubt, uncertainty, or guilt

eyes so straight and clear that everybody loved him — Stark Young

c. : giving free passage to light or to the sight : easily seen through : not cloudy, turbid, or opaque

fish seen swimming through water clear as air

clear glass

d.

(1) of the skin or complexion : good in texture and color and without blemish or discoloration

(2) of an animal coat : of uniform shade throughout : unspotted — sometimes opposed to ticked

e. : having no color, smoke, or suspended matter to impede the passage of light : translucent

clear varnish

clear soup

a candle burning with a clear flame

f. of color : without admixture of other color : pure

clear reds and blues

2.

a. : easily or distinctly heard : distinct and audible in detail

her speech was clear and easy to understand

: having purity of tone : free from roughness or harshness

you could hear clear laughter like a waterfall — Edith Sitwell

b. of an l sound : formed with the tip of the tongue on the teethridge and the rest of the tongue in a position similar to that of a front vowel — compare dark

3.

a. : easily understood : without obscurity or ambiguity

a clear description of his point of view

: thoroughly understood or comprehended

the consequences of his act were not clear at the time

make it clear that there will be no discussion

: easy to perceive or determine with certainty

it is clear that you were wrong

: sharply distinguished : readily recognized : unmistakable

a clear instance of favoritism

b. : easily visible or distinguishable without blurring or becoming obscure : sharp and distinct in outline

though the gloom had increased … the white surface of the road remained almost as clear as ever — Thomas Hardy

: readily seen : in plain sight

clear identification of the product on the label

4.

a. : having no doubt, uncertainty, or confusion of mind : straight-thinking

a complex problem requiring a clear brain

: having a sure understanding or a confident certainty

we are not clear about what we are going to do

: without misconception, error, or vagueness

a clearer understanding of the issue

b. : undistorted or unweakened in perception or vision

clear sight

clear eyes

5. : free from obstruction, burden, limitation, defect, or other restricting features: as

a. : free from guile, guilt, or stain : unsullied , innocent

in action faithful, and in honor clear — Alexander Pope

a clear conscience

b. : free from pecuniary liabilities, charges, or deductions

a good income clear for life

a clear profit of 6 percent

c. : free from qualification or limitation : unquestioned , absolute

a clear victory over his opponent

that wall is a clear 20 feet high

d. : free from anything that impedes movement or action

a road clear for traffic

a field clear of trees

also : indicating freedom from obstruction

a clear signal on a railroad

e. : freed or emptied of burden, contents, or cargo

a ship is clear after unloading

f.

(1) of tree boles or timbers : free of knots, branches, or other projections

(2) of lumber : free of defect or blemish

g. : free from contact : out of the way

clear of the hose

especially : free from contact or association with anything that encumbers, impedes, entangles, or obscures

the moon was clear of the trees

clear of the storm area

clear of trouble

h. of a measurement of space or time : without deduction or diminution : full

a clear 15 yards from side to side

— compare clear days

i.

(1) : having nothing within or upon : empty of content : free of occupancy

walls clear of ornament

a mind clear of all such notions

(2) of a fabric : having a finished surface free of nap, fuzz, or loose fibers

(3) of an egg : infertile

j. : normal ; specifically : free from abnormal sounds — used especially in auscultation of the chest or lungs

k. : having won no hearts or other penalty card in tricks in the game of hearts

Synonyms:

transparent , translucent , lucid , pellucid , diaphanous , limpid : clear stresses absence of clouding or other obscuring of vision

the launch moved slowly through water clear as air — C.B.Nordhoff & J.N.Hall

transparent stresses complete absence of obstruction to vision

guavas, with the shadows of their crimson pulp flushing through a transparent skin — Herman Melville

translucent applies to that which permits passage of light but bars clear and complete vision

translucent amber that cages flies — Elinor Wylie

poured out a goblet full of the translucent crimson liquid — Joseph Hergesheimer

lucid , a rather romantic and literary word, may suggest luminous transparency

changed … their hue (like clouds of sunset) into lucid amber — William Wordsworth

pellucid intensifies the idea of clear

a pellucid plain of waters, azure with the noontide day — P.B.Shelley

diaphanous suggests a gossamer translucency, a virtual transparency

in her flowery loveliness, she looked diaphanous, ethereal — Maurice Hewlett

limpid usually suggests soft clearness

the eyes are of that soft, limpid, turquoise blue so often sung by the poets — Wilkie Collins

in the light of the dawn, growing more limpid rather than brighter — Joseph Conrad

Applied to intangibles in more figurative senses, clear stresses freedom from obscurity or possibility of misunderstanding

making our age one of bewildered groping where our ancestors walked in the clear daylight of unquestioning certainty — Bertrand Russell

experience in India had made it abundantly clear that the government of a great empire required special training and disinterested selection — Felix Frankfurter

transparent implies either commendable utter clarity or obvious, easily perceived deception

transparent and disprovable untruths … and histories far-fetched a million miles — Elinor Wylie

lucid , more common in this use, suggests especial clearness, sometimes of order and arrangement

he thought little of recasting a chapter in order to obtain a more lucid arrangement — G.O.Trevelyan

pellucid and limpid stress simple complete clarity

[Goldsmith's] pellucid simplicity — Frederic Harrison

utter simplicity, limpid clearness … these are the salient qualities of the diction of the men who wrote the Bible — J.L.Lowes

Synonyms:

lucid , perspicuous : clear and lucid have been dealt with in the preceding synonymy. perspicuous may stress the clearness and understandability of the general style of a passage

the ode is not wholly perspicuous. Wordsworth himself seems to have thought it difficult — Lionel Trilling

Synonym: see in addition evident .

II. adverb

( -er/-est )

Etymology: Middle English clere, from clere, adjective

: in a clear manner: as

a. : without confusion or obscurity : distinctly

now clear I understand — John Milton

b. : with clear voice or sound

to cry loud and clear

c. : all the way : for the entire distance, extent, or time

beyond the fence was open country clear to the skyline — Hartley Howard

: wholly , entirely

I was sore clear through at myself — W.A.White

III. verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Middle English cleren, from clere, adjective

transitive verb

1.

a.

(1) : to make clear, transparent, or translucent : free from darkening elements, turbidness, muddiness, clouds, or cloudiness

clear the river water by filtering

(2) : to free (sugar crystals) from mother liquor by spraying with water or steam

(3) : to free or almost free (the emulsion of a photographic film or plate) from silver halide during fixing so that unexposed parts are transparent

(4) : to render (a specimen for microscopic examination) transparent by the use of an agent (as an essential oil) that modifies the refractive index

b.

(1) obsolete : to remove guilt or the stain of sin from : make pure : wash away (as a sin) : absolve

(2) : to free from imputation of guilt or from accusation or blame : justify , vindicate

to take the stand, tell the truth, and clear his name — S.H.Adams

his accusers never gave him an opportunity to clear himself

— often used with of or from before the thing imputed

he is cleared of suspicion of duplicity

(3) : to certify (as by investigation of one's personal history and background) as loyal to the national interest and safely to be trusted with secret information or employed in responsible work

clear a man for top-secret military work

c.

(1) : to make clear mentally : give clear understanding to : enlighten

clear my mind about the new arrangement

(2) : to make intelligible : free from obscurity or ambiguity : explain

many knotty points there are which all discuss but few can clear — Matthew Prior

d. : to make (the eyes or sight) clear or keen (as by strengthening or cleaning)

e. obsolete : to prove the truth of : demonstrate

2.

a. : to remove from (as a space) all that occupies or encumbers or that impedes or restricts use, passage, or action

cleared his calendar in order to give full time to the problem

clear a room upstairs for the guest

clear two downtown blocks for the new civic center

clear the way for the landing forces

clear an acre of woodland with a bulldozer

b. : to free, rid, or empty (as an area or object) of accumulated, intruding, or encumbering things

clear your mind of foolish fancies

clear land of trees and brush

clear a ship of her cargo

clear an equation of fractions

c. : to remove (something that occupies, intrudes, obstructs, or encumbers) from an area or place

spend a week clearing timber

clear snow from the walk

clear the plates and serve dessert

— often used with away, off, out

d. : to establish one's remaining cards in (a specified suit) by forcing the opponents to play all their cards or all their remaining cards in that suit

he cleared the spade suit in two leads

the ace cleared the trump suit

e. : to clear for action

f. : to de-energize (an electric circuit) manually or by means of an automatic circuit-interrupting device

g.

(1) : to make (the voice) free from harshness or huskiness

(2) : to rid (the throat) of phlegm or of something that makes the voice indistinct or husky

(3) : to make a rasping noise in (the throat) as if clearing phlegm — used often as a nonlinguistic sound especially to call attention to something said or done

h. : to exhaust the available market supply of (a commodity) by purchase or sale

buyers cleared the day's cattle run at steady rates

: dispose of the supply on hand of (a commodity) often by special sale

unsold stock was cleared at a loss

i. : to move (as a hockey puck or soccer ball) out of the defensive zone

j. : to classify and distribute, transmit, or dispatch (as messages, mail, or freight) to the intended destination

that post office clears 300 pieces of mail an hour

cleared messages for the state police over his shortwave set — Mary H. Vorse

k. : to remove accumulated totals, stored information, or previously made settings from (a business or calculating machine) : replace stored information by zero in (a computing machine)

3. : to make clear or free from obligation, especially from pecuniary liability: as

a. : settle , pay , discharge

clear an account

money sent to clear our debts

: make free from debt or pecuniary encumbrance

money paid to clear his estate

b.

(1) : to free (a ship or shipment) for passage by payment of customs duties or harbor fees : pass through (customs) by conforming to regulations

the baggage cleared customs

(2) : to leave (a port) after conforming to customs and port regulations

the ship cleared New York harbor

c. : to gain without deduction : earn as a net profit

clear a good profit on the sale

clear $1500 a year on the investment

d. : to pass (as a check) through a clearinghouse ; sometimes : to get the cash for (a check) — compare clearing 3

4.

a. : to free (as from contact or entanglement) : disentangle

clear a hawser

clear a fishing line

b. : to leap over

the horse cleared the fence in a bound

or pass by or over

clearing the ridge, we saw below us a great valley

: go over or by without touching, colliding, or getting entangled

the planes barely cleared the tops of the trees

c. : to pass free of, out of, or away from

the tax bill cleared the legislature a week ago

5.

a. : to submit (something proposed or intended) to an authority for review and approval before placing in effect

important appointments are first cleared with the committee

also : to review and approve (as a proposal) : give approval to : authorize

the chairman cleared the article for publication

b. : to obtain official permission to use (as a song) in broadcasting

c. : to authorize (an aircraft) to proceed under specified traffic conditions

cleared the plane for landing

intransitive verb

1. : to become clear, bright, or transparent: as

a. : to become free of clouds, mist, fog, or rain : become fair — often used with up or off

it cleared up quickly after the rain

b. : to become transparent, translucent, or free of sediment or turbidity

the muddy water clears

c. : to become free of care, doubt, uncertainty, disorder, or of anything that puzzles or troubles the mind or obscures or confuses the situation

his face cleared as he heard my explanation

with the improvement in sales the business prospect clears

2.

a. obsolete : to adjust differences : pay claims : make a settlement — used with with

b. : to conform to the customs and other port regulations by payment of duties and fees so as to obtain permission to leave port

the ship cleared yesterday and is ready to leave

also : to leave port with clearance papers

ships cleared from Boston with cargoes for the west

c. : to pass for clearing or collection through a clearinghouse or through another bank (as of a check) — see clearing 3a

3.

a. : to go away : disappear , vanish

these symptoms should clear gradually

the crowds cleared rapidly, leaving the streets deserted

— often used with away, up, off

b. of a commodity : to become sold out

hogs cleared at steady rates

c. : to remove the dishes, food, and other remains of a meal (as from a table or a room)

you are to clear after every meal

d. : to move a puck or ball away from the goal area

the goalie cleared to an open teammate

4.

a. : to go to an authority (as for scrutiny, review, or approval) before becoming effective

all tax bills must clear through our committee

b. : to pass through or undergo handling by a single authority or office usually with the purpose of achieving efficiency or consistency of handling

outgoing letters clear through this office where they are checked against our files

Synonyms: see rid

•

- clear for action

- clear hawse

- clear one's skirts

- clear the air

- clear the decks

- clear the land

- clear the way

IV. noun

( -s )

Etymology: clear (I)

1. clears plural

[translation of Italian chiaro ]

: the parts of a painting shown in a state of illumination as opposed to those in shadow

2. clears plural : a less refined flour consisting of the bolted portion of the meal recovered in the manufacture of patent flour and graded in several grades according to the quality resulting from further milling

3. : a board or piece of lumber free from defects

4. : an infertile hatching egg

5. : a bird or animal having clear plumage or coat

6. : a deep shot over the opponent's head in badminton

7. : plain or unencrypted language

a message sent in clear

: plaintext

clear alphabet

•

- in the clear