clearing
4 synonyms and 1 antonym for clearing, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — An open area within a forest or wooded area with no trees.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
How to use clearing
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
forest clearing
clearing house
bank clearing
Etymology
Formed from clear and -ing.
Full origin of clearing →Frequently asked questions
What does “clearing” mean?
The word “clearing” means an open area within a forest or wooded area with no trees. In plain terms, an open gap in a forest — or, in finance, the settling of a transaction.
How do you pronounce “clearing”?
“Clearing” is pronounced KLEER-rihng (/ˈklɪɹ.ɪŋ/ in IPA).
How do you use “clearing” in a sentence?
Here is “clearing” used in a sentence: “They pitched their tent in a small clearing.”
What part of speech is “clearing”?
“Clearing” is a noun.
Is “clearing” a common word?
“Clearing” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “clearing” have?
“Clearing” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an open area within a forest or wooded area with no trees.
What is the difference between a clearing and a glade?
Both words name an open, treeless space inside a forest. Glade is the more literary or poetic choice, while clearing is the everyday word and can suggest the space was deliberately cleared of trees.
How is the word clearing used in banking and payments?
In finance, clearing is the processing of transactions, such as checks or payments, through a central system. It covers the steps between a payment being initiated and the money actually changing hands.
What is the difference between clearing and settlement?
Clearing is the processing stage of a financial transaction, when details are checked and instructions are matched through a central system. Settlement is the final step, when the money or assets are actually transferred. Clearing prepares the transaction; settlement completes it.
Is a clearing in a forest natural or man-made?
It can be either. A clearing is simply an open area within a forest with no trees, whether it formed naturally — for example after a fire — or was created by people felling trees. The word itself does not say how the space came to be open.
