bother to clear

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "bother to clear" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when expressing the idea of making an effort to remove or tidy something up, often implying that the action may not be worth the trouble. Example: "I didn't bother to clear the clutter from my desk before the meeting."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

He didn't bother to clear his scripts.

The New York Times

My real-life villains… Person or persons who a) try to make a less confident person look silly, or b) don't bother to clear up their dog's mess.

Independent

Or, even more disconcerting: Did the men behind the coup, a group of arch-royalist officers who set out to dominate the army a decade ago, bother to clear their actions with the crown prince, Maha Vajiralongkorn?

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

He couldn't be bothered to clear it up.

The New York Times - Arts

The police defused the bomb on the spot and never bothered to clear the station, Victoria Terminus.

The New York Times

Even more amazing is that the campaign never bothered to clear out the BlackBerry's contents.

TechCrunch

"A distinction I didn't bother to make clear because it was an off-hand tweet late at night whilst studying, and who'd even see the tweet?

The Guardian

Nobody bothers to clear them away.For all its rulers' bombast, Abkhazia exists on Russian sufferance.

The Economist

The version you can see displayed is only only providing results for Tweets sent from Edinburgh (assuming peiople have bothered to make this clear in their settings of course – millions of people have their Twitter location set to the default Hawaii).

TechCrunch

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit have warned, with good reason, that a Social Security crackdown would lead to countless unjust firings and discrimination against lawful immigrants by companies that cannot be bothered to help clear up their bureaucratic entanglements.

The New York Times

Ethical guidance relating to what Google is doing here with the Duplex AI is actually pretty clear if you bother to read it — to the point where even politicians are agreed on foundational basics, such as that AI needs to operate on "principles of intelligibility and fairness", to borrow phrasing from just one of several political reports that have been published on the topic in recent years.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

For formal contexts, consider using "take the trouble to clear" or "make the effort to clear" as alternatives.

Common error

While "bother to clear" is acceptable, it can sound dismissive or informal. In professional or academic writing, opt for alternatives like "take the time to clear" or "make an effort to clear" to maintain a more appropriate tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "bother to clear" functions as an infinitive phrase expressing purpose, typically used to indicate a lack of inclination or effort towards performing a cleaning or tidying action. Ludwig's examples show it in contexts where someone does not deem something worthy of their time or effort.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Wiki

33%

Science

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "bother to clear" is a grammatically correct expression used to convey a lack of effort or willingness to tidy or remove something. Ludwig indicates that its register is generally neutral to informal, frequently found in news, wiki and science sources. While acceptable, alternatives such as ""take the trouble to clear"" or "make the effort to clear" might be more suitable for formal writing. The phrase aims to indicate indifference or disinterest towards performing a cleaning action.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

be bothered to clear

Passive voice of the original phrase, emphasizing the feeling of being troubled by the task of clearing.

take the trouble to clear

Emphasizes the effort required to clear something.

make the effort to clear

Highlights the conscious decision to clear something.

go to the effort of clearing

Similar to 'make the effort' but slightly more emphatic.

make time to clear

Focuses on allocating time for clearing.

trouble oneself to clear

Highlights the act of causing oneself inconvenience to clear something.

feel inclined to clear

Indicates a willingness to undertake clearing.

care to clear

Suggests a degree of concern or interest in clearing something.

deem it necessary to clear

Suggests a judgment about the necessity of clearing.

see fit to clear

Implies a decision based on suitability or appropriateness to clear.

FAQs

What does "bother to clear" mean?

The phrase "bother to clear" means to take the time or make an effort to remove or tidy something. It often implies a lack of willingness to do so because it's deemed unnecessary or not worth the trouble.

How can I use "bother to clear" in a sentence?

You can use "bother to clear" to express that someone didn't make the effort to remove or tidy something. For example, "He didn't "take the trouble to clear" the table after dinner."

What can I say instead of "bother to clear"?

You can use alternatives like ""take the trouble to clear"", "make the effort to clear", or "take the time to clear" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "couldn't be bothered to clear"?

Yes, "couldn't be bothered to clear" is a correct and common variation of the phrase. It expresses a similar meaning of lacking the motivation or inclination to remove or tidy something.