CLEANSE

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cleanse mean? 

• CLEANSE (verb)
  The verb CLEANSE has 2 senses:

1. clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing
2. purge of an ideology, bad thoughts, or sins

  Familiarity information: CLEANSE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CLEANSE (verb)

Meaning:

Clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

cleanse; clean

Context examples:

clean up before you see your grandparents / clean your fingernails before dinner

Hypernyms (to "cleanse" is one way to...):

groom; neaten (care for one's external appearance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cleanse"):

bathe (cleanse the entire body)

wash (to cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking)

lave; wash (cleanse (one's body) with soap and water)

lather; soap (rub soap all over, usually with the purpose of cleaning)

bath; bathe (clean one's body by immersion into water)

douche (direct a spray of water into a bodily cavity, for cleaning)

floss (use dental floss to clean)

decontaminate (rid of contamination)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They cleanse themselves

Meaning:

Purge of an ideology, bad thoughts, or sins

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

Purgatory is supposed to cleanse you from your sins

Hypernyms (to "cleanse" is one way to...):

disembarrass; free; rid (relieve from)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cleanse"):

denazify (free from Nazi ideology or detach from Nazi allegiance)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody