Idioms

clear one's name

clear (one's) name

To exonerate oneself or another of a criminal charge or allegation of wrongdoing. I was only accused of that crime because I look like the perpetrator, so I was able to clear my name. Good luck trying to clear your name once people think you've done something wrong. After Vince was charged with breaking and entering, he hired a high-powered attorney to try to clear his name.
See also: clear, name
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

clear one's name

Also, clear oneself. Prove someone (or oneself) innocent. For example, She not only wanted to be acquitted, she wanted to clear her name entirely. This locution employs the verb clear in the sense of "purify" or "wash away a stain." [Late 1400s]
See also: clear, name
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive
To correct wrongful listings on watch lists, travelers can go through the Department of Homeland Security's Travel Redress Inquiry Program, a procedure that helps clear one's name. The TSA says this program "is a central gateway to address watch-list misidentification issues," among other things.
Travel Security Update
"It can be a very lengthy and costly process" to clear one's name in such cases, he said.
Identity theft steals woman's good name
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