Nearby Words

housecleaning

[hous-klee-ning]

house·clean·ing

[hous-klee-ning]
noun
1.
the act of cleaning a house, room, etc., and its furnishings, especially the act of cleaning thoroughly and completely.
2.
the act of improving or reforming by weeding out excess or corrupt personnel or of revising methods of operation.

Origin:
1860–65; house + cleaning

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Housecleaning is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

house·clean

[hous-kleen]
verb (used with object)
1.
to subject (a house, room, etc.) to housecleaning.
verb (used without object)
2.
to engage in housecleaning.

Origin:
1860–65; back formation from housecleaning

house·clean·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To housecleaning
WordNet
housecleaning

noun
1. (figurative) the act of reforming by the removal of unwanted personnel or practices or conditions; "more housecleaning is in store at other accounting firms"; "many employees were discharged in a general housecleaning by the new owners" 
2. the act of cleaning the rooms and furnishings of a house; "efficient housecleaning should proceed one room at a time" 
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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