clear of (something)

clear of (something)

1. adjective Away from or avoiding (something). Keep clear of Mr. Jamison, he's very irritable today. If you boys are going to play outside, please stay clear of the street. What did I just hit? I thought my car was clear of the curb!

2. verb To exonerate oneself or another of a criminal charge or allegation of wrongdoing. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "clear" and "of." Vince hired a high-powered attorney to try to clear himself of the crime. Once we get the security footage back, I'm confident we'll be able to clear you of these bogus charges. Once people think you've done something wrong, good luck trying to clear yourself of that misdeed.

See also: clear, of

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*clear of something

without touching something; away from something. (*Typically: keep ~; move ~; remain ~; stand ~.) Please stand clear of the doors while the train is moving. Make sure the dog moves clear of the driveway before backing the car up.

See also: clear, of

clear someone of something

to show that a person is innocent; to exonerate someone of a crime. (See also clear someone's name.) An investigation cleared me of any wrongdoing. They were unable to clear themselves of the charges.

See also: clear, of

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.