Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - clear

 I. adjective  Etymology: Middle English clere, from Anglo-French cler, from Latin clarus ~, bright; akin to Latin calare to call — more at low  Date: 13th century  1.  a. bright, luminous  b. cloudless; specifically less than one-tenth covered a ~ sky  c. free from mist, haze, or dust a ~ day  d. untroubled, serene a ~ gaze  2. clean, pure: as  a. free from blemishes ~ skin  b. easily seen through ; transparent ~ glass  c. free from abnormal sounds on auscultation  3.  a. easily heard a loud and ~ sound  b. easily visible ; plain a ~ signal  c. free from obscurity or ambiguity ; easily understood ; unmistakable a ~ explanation  4.  a. capable of sharp discernment ; keen a ~ thinker  b. free from doubt ; sure not ~ on how to proceed  5. free from guile or guilt ; innocent a ~ conscience  6. unhampered by restriction or limitation: as  a. unencumbered by debts or charges a ~ estate  b. net a ~ profit  c. unqualified, absolute a ~ victory  d. free from obstruction ~ passage  e. emptied of contents or cargo  f. free from entanglement or contact staying ~ of controversy keep ~ of the boundary  g. bare, denuded ~ ground  • ~ness noun Synonyms:  ~, transparent, translucent, limpid mean capable of being seen through. ~ implies absence of cloudiness, haziness, or muddiness ~ water. transparent implies being so ~ that objects can be seen distinctly a transparent sheet of film. translucent implies the passage of light but not a ~ view of what lies beyond translucent frosted glass. limpid suggests the soft ~ness of pure water her eyes were limpid pools of blue. Synonyms:  ~, perspicuous, lucid mean quickly and easily understood. ~ implies freedom from obscurity, ambiguity, or undue complexity ~ instructions. perspicuous applies to a style that is simple and elegant as well as ~ a perspicuous style. lucid suggests a ~ logical coherence and evident order of arrangement a lucid explanation.  Synonym: see in addition evident.  II. adverb  Date: 14th century  1. in a ~ manner to cry loud and ~  2. all the way drove ~ across the state  III. transitive verb  Date: 14th century  1.  a. to make ~ or translucent  b. to free from pollution or cloudiness  2. to free from accusation or blame ; exonerate, vindicate the opportunity to ~ himself  3.  a. to give insight to ; enlighten  b. to make intelligible ; explain ~ up the mystery  4.  a. to free from what obstructs or is unneeded: as  (1) open 1b ~ a path  (2) to remove unwanted growth or items from ~ the land of timber  (3) to rid or make a rasping noise as if ridding (the throat) of phlegm  (4) to erase stored or displayed data from (as a computer or calculator)  b. to empty of occupants ~ the room  c. disentangle ~ a fishing line  d. to remove from an area or place ~ the dishes from the table  e. transmit, dispatch  5.  a. to submit for approval ~ it with me first  b. authorize, approve ~ed the article for publication: as  (1) to certify as trustworthy ~ a person for classified information  (2) to permit (an aircraft) to proceed usually with a specified action the plane was ~ed to land  6.  a. to free from obligation or encumbrance  b. settle, discharge ~ an account  c.  (1) to free (a ship or shipment) by payment of duties or harbor fees  (2) to pass through (customs)  d. to gain without deduction ; net ~ a profit  e. to put through a ~inghouse  7.  a. to go over, under, or by without touching the ball just ~ed the uprights  b. to move through successfully ; pass the bill ~ed the legislature  intransitive verb  1.  a. to become ~ it ~ed up quickly after the rain  b. to go away ; vanish the symptoms ~ed gradually  c. sell  2.  a. to obtain permission to discharge cargo  b. to conform to regulations or pay requisite fees prior to leaving port  3. to pass through a ~inghousE  4. to go to an authority (as for approval) before becoming effective  • ~able adjective  • ~er noun  IV. noun  Date: 1674  1. a ~ space or part  2. a high arcing shot over an opponent's head in badminton