cleansed; cleansing; cleanses
1
: clean
especially
: to rid of impurities by or as if by washing
cleansed the wound
It's that mystical state most athletes are lucky to achieve a few times in their careers. The mind is cleansed. The body is free. —
Jon Wertheim
Jon Wertheim 2
: to expel, imprison, or kill (the members of an ethnic minority) in (an area) : to subject to or remove by ethnic cleansing
In 1996, tens of thousands of ethnic Tutsis, most of them of Rwandan origin, were murdered or ethnically cleansed in the Masisi region of eastern Zaire.—David Rieff
David Rieff
: to engage in or undergo a cleanse to remove toxins from the body
Some people who cleanse say they experience dramatic physical changes.—Karen Hube
Karen Hube
: a very restrictive short-term diet primarily intended to remove toxins from the body
Under the supervision of her nutritionist … Gillian Anderson has reportedly participated in cleanses that consist of little more than liquids for 10 days.—J. D. Heiman
J. D. Heiman… told me about her 28-day cleanse, which limits the caffeine, sugar, gluten, dairy and red meat in your diet.—Jon Harris
Jon HarrisSynonyms
Examples of cleanse in a Sentence
Verb
The cut should be cleansed gently with mild soap and water.
in an elaborate ritual the priestess cleansed the gathering of supplicants
Recent Examples on the Web
Liam Hess, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024
For pilgrims, the pinnacle of the festival is a dip in the sacred waters on auspicious days—an act believed to cleanse the faithful of their sins.
—Selina Denman, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2024
Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 25 Nov. 2024
The oil can be used as a pre-wash treatment, as a finishing gloss, or to hydrate the strands after a cleanse.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cleanse 
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Verb
The hotel, in fact, is built on the remains of public baths dating back to the 4th century when the Roman emperor Diocletian would send his subjects to these venues to cleanse their bodies and their souls.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024
For pilgrims, the pinnacle of the festival is a dip in the sacred waters on auspicious days—an act believed to cleanse the faithful of their sins.
—Selina Denman, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
These pro-approved hard water shampoos help cleanse, restore, and bring hair back to life.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 25 Nov. 2024
The oil can be used as a pre-wash treatment, as a finishing gloss, or to hydrate the strands after a cleanse.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cleanse
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Cite this Entry
“Cleanse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanse. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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