Meaning trap
clean up
remove corruption
To eliminate unethical, illegal, or corrupt practices from an organization, institution, or system, often as part of reform.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To eliminate unethical, illegal, or corrupt practices from an organization, institution, or system, often as part of reform.
'clean up' also has the more basic meaning 'make clean'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The new government promised to clean up the police force and restore public trust.politics
- If governments are serious about fighting corruption, they must take concrete steps to clean up their institutions and enforce transparency.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: clean up [something] | clean up [intransitive] (often used with institutions, politics, or systems)
WrongHe promised to clean up with the corruption.
RightHe promised to clean up the corruption. / ...clean up the department.
'Clean up' takes the object directly — no 'with'.
Patternclean up [something] | clean up [intransitive] (often used with institutions, politics, or systems)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Clean up' is the natural verb for rooting out corruption; 'eliminate corrupt practices' is formal.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
clean up + institutionthe sportpoliticsits actthe force
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense ('make clean'), this sense is figurative and refers to eliminating corruption or unethical behaviour, not physical dirt or mess. It is also distinct from the B2 sense ('make a large profit'), which focuses on financial gain.
Related
- clean up (make clean) — 'clean up' also has the more basic meaning 'make clean'; this is the advanced sense.