clear the garbage

USAGE SUMMARY

"clear the garbage" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when referring to the act of removing waste or unwanted items. Example: "Please clear the garbage from the kitchen before the guests arrive." Alternative expressions include "remove the trash" and "dispose of the waste."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Citi created its unit to clear the garbage — and noncore units like the Smith Barney brokerage house — out of its still mighty global bank.

The New York Times

Residents at Yash Enclave, whose homes are worth 10 million rupees ($250,000) or more, currently pay a private contractor a few thousand rupees to clear the garbage from their complex once a day.

The New York Times

There has been criticism of their design; and, since barely one-eighth of the city's garbage is separated before it is collected, there are fears that toxic waste could be burnt along with harmless stuff.Mr Prodi first sent in the army to clear the garbage from outside schools, so that they could reopen after the holiday.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

There was no money for clearing the garbage from the area or tending to the toilets.

The New York Times

Slowly befriending their new neighbors, they started clearing the garbage away, replaced it with raised soil beds, and declared an eight-block section of the neighborhood the Cooperative Community of New West Jackson.

Vice

"She can clear out the garbage faster than anybody I have ever seen".

The New York Times

In an effort to clear out the garbage and create a better blend, Safeguard established a deal to sell three of its four majority-held companies – Acsis, Alliance Consulting Group Associates, and Laureate Pharma, – and three minority-held companies – NextPoint Networks, Neuronyx, and ProModel – to Saints Capital.

Forbes

At the press conference held by the Ayotzinapa families after the GIEI report launch, Mario César Gonzalez Contreras, the father of one of the missing students commented that, "it became very clear that the garbage dump at Cocula was government theater....the [state version that our children were burned at the] dump has always tortured the families of the 43 disappeared".

Huffington Post

Doing so will help to make it clear to the garbage collector that the can is being thrown away too.

WikiHow

No, it was a bunch of sanitation workers clearing out the garbage cans on the north end of the square.

The New Yorker

Ownership and jurisdictional issues seemed irrelevant, so Mr. Li simply began clearing away the garbage and sifting the soil.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "clear the garbage" when describing the remediation of an area, such as a street, a school or a financial portfolio containing 'toxic' assets. It implies a restoration of order rather than a simple routine chore.

Common error

A common mistake is saying 'clean the garbage' when you mean to remove it. Garbage is inherently dirty; you 'clear' or 'remove' it to make an area 'clean'. Using 'clean' as the verb suggests you are scrubbing the waste itself.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "clear the garbage" functions as a transitive verb phrase where 'clear' acts as the action and 'the garbage' serves as the direct object. According to Ludwig AI, it is primarily used to denote the physical removal of debris or waste to restore functionality to a space. It can also function as a metaphorical construction in financial and technical writing to signify the removal of 'junk' data or sub-par assets.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Wiki & General Instructions

20%

Science & Medical Research

15%

Less common in

Social Media

5%

Academic Philosophy

3%

Legal Documents

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "clear the garbage" is a robust and versatile expression in the English language. While Ludwig identifies it as grammatically correct and most frequent in journalistic and instructional registers, its applications range from literal urban sanitation to complex biological processes and high-stakes corporate liquidations. Whether describing the military clearing debris from a highway or a cell clearing away 'cellular garbage' to prevent disease, the phrase consistently implies a necessary act of purification. Writers should favor "clear" over 'clean' when the objective is the total removal of waste, and they should feel confident using the term in both formal reports and descriptive narratives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

remove the trash

Uses the more common American term trash and is suitable for everyday domestic contexts.

dispose of the waste

More formal and often used in technical, industrial or environmental contexts.

clear out the rubbish

Reflects British English nomenclature and implies a more thorough cleaning of a space.

take out the garbage

Specifically refers to moving waste from inside a building to a collection point.

clean away the refuse

A highly formal alternative using the collective noun refuse.

eliminate the debris

Focuses on the removal of scattered remains or ruins, often after a disaster or construction.

cart away the litter

Implies the physical transportation of waste found in public areas.

purge the junk

A more aggressive term often used figuratively to describe getting rid of useless data or items.

clear the clutter

Focuses on organizing a space rather than just removing biological or physical waste.

empty the bin

Refers to the specific action of clearing a container rather than a general area.

FAQs

Is it correct to say "clear the garbage"?

Yes, it is perfectly correct. According to Ludwig AI, you can use it when referring to the act of removing waste or unwanted items, such as in the sentence "The city sent in workers to clear the garbage after the festival".

What is a more formal way to say "clear the garbage"?

In professional or scientific writing, it is often better to use "dispose of the waste" or "remediate the refuse".

Can "clear the garbage" be used figuratively?

Absolutely. It is frequently used in business and finance to describe removing non-core or failing assets from a company's books, as seen in "clear the garbage out" of a global bank.

What is the difference between "clear the garbage" and "clear the air"?

While "clear the garbage" refers to physical or metaphorical waste removal, "clear the air" is an idiom used to describe resolving a misunderstanding or tension between people.