"come clean" meaning in English

See come clean in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-come clean.ogg Forms: comes clean [present, singular, third-person], coming clean [participle, present], came clean [past], come clean [participle, past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|come<,,came,come> clean}} come clean (third-person singular simple present comes clean, present participle coming clean, simple past came clean, past participle come clean)
  1. (idiomatic) To confess; admit the truth. Tags: idiomatic Translations (to confess): 和盤托出 (Chinese Mandarin), 和盘托出 (hépántuōchū) (Chinese Mandarin), 坦白交待 (tǎnbái jiāodài) (Chinese Mandarin), tunnustaa (Finnish), myöntää (Finnish), avouer (French), se confesser (French), reinen Tisch machen [idiomatic] (German), mindent beismer/elismer/bevall (Hungarian), kirukkol/előrukkol az igazsággal (Hungarian), elmondja az igazat / a teljes igazságot (Hungarian), confessare (Italian), 告白する (kokuhaku suru) (alt: こくはくする) (Japanese), prisipažinti (Lithuanian), wkładać między bajki [imperfective] (Polish), włożyć między bajki [perfective] (Polish), mărturisi (Romanian), признаться (priznatʹsja) [perfective] (Russian), confesar (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-come_clean-en-verb-CCs7O7rQ Disambiguation of 'to confess': 66 1 1 29 1 1
  2. 1921, B. M. Bower, chapter 6, in Sawtooth Ranch:
    Sense id: en-come_clean-en-verb-ickrc1vJ
  3. 1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12:
    Sense id: en-come_clean-en-verb-KcyXb8bf
  4. 1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12: Synonyms: fess up, own up
    Sense id: en-come_clean-en-verb-kseNIbIZ Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English light verb constructions, English verb forms using redundant wikisyntax, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Lithuanian translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 5 17 13 29 12 23 Disambiguation of English light verb constructions: 3 13 10 48 9 16 Disambiguation of English verb forms using redundant wikisyntax: 4 17 13 35 11 21 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 5 13 9 47 10 16 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 5 17 14 33 11 21 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 2 17 12 36 12 20 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 4 12 14 41 14 16 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 8 12 11 41 12 17 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 6 12 10 42 14 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 3 16 15 37 12 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 6 12 9 45 12 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 6 13 10 42 13 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Lithuanian translations: 4 12 15 40 14 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 4 12 14 40 13 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 5 12 16 39 13 15 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 4 12 14 41 14 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 6 12 9 46 12 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 5 13 10 45 11 16
  5. 2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12:
    Sense id: en-come_clean-en-verb-azklfcxx
  6. 2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12:
    Sense id: en-come_clean-en-verb-MrkjKHRl

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "comes clean",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "coming clean",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "came clean",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "come clean",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "come<,,came,come> clean"
      },
      "expansion": "come clean (third-person singular simple present comes clean, present participle coming clean, simple past came clean, past participle come clean)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "To confess; admit the truth."
      ],
      "id": "en-come_clean-en-verb-CCs7O7rQ",
      "links": [
        [
          "confess",
          "confess"
        ],
        [
          "admit",
          "admit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To confess; admit the truth."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "和盤托出"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "hépántuōchū",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "和盘托出"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "tǎnbái jiāodài",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "坦白交待"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "tunnustaa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "myöntää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "avouer"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "se confesser"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "tags": [
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "reinen Tisch machen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "mindent beismer/elismer/bevall"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "kirukkol/előrukkol az igazsággal"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "elmondja az igazat / a teljes igazságot"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "confessare"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "alt": "こくはくする",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kokuhaku suru",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "告白する"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "lt",
          "lang": "Lithuanian",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "prisipažinti"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "wkładać między bajki"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "włożyć między bajki"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "mărturisi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "priznatʹsja",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "признаться"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "66 1 1 29 1 1",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to confess",
          "word": "confesar"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "1921, B. M. Bower, chapter 6, in Sawtooth Ranch"
      ],
      "id": "en-come_clean-en-verb-ickrc1vJ",
      "links": [
        [
          "B. M. Bower",
          "w:B. M. Bower"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "1921, B. M. Bower, chapter 6, in Sawtooth Ranch:"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12"
      ],
      "id": "en-come_clean-en-verb-KcyXb8bf",
      "links": [
        [
          "John Gardner",
          "w:John Gardner (American writer)"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12:"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "5 17 13 29 12 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 13 10 48 9 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English light verb constructions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "4 17 13 35 11 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English verb forms using redundant wikisyntax",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 13 9 47 10 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 17 14 33 11 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "2 17 12 36 12 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "4 12 14 41 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 12 11 41 12 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 12 10 42 14 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 16 15 37 12 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 12 9 45 12 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 13 10 42 13 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "4 12 15 40 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Lithuanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "4 12 14 40 13 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 12 16 39 13 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "4 12 14 41 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 12 9 46 12 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 13 10 45 11 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12:\nPerhaps it is only fair to come clean at the start and confess that I found J.R.R. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales a disappointment.",
        "Perhaps it is only fair to come clean at the start and confess that I found J.R.R. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales a disappointment."
      ],
      "id": "en-come_clean-en-verb-kseNIbIZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "John Gardner",
          "w:John Gardner (American writer)"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12:"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 0 63 0 37",
          "word": "fess up"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 0 63 0 37",
          "word": "own up"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12"
      ],
      "id": "en-come_clean-en-verb-azklfcxx",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12:"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12:\nWhen the sub got stuck, the brass kept the fact under wraps for 32 hours before Russia came clean and asked for foreign help.",
        "When the sub got stuck, the brass kept the fact under wraps for 32 hours before Russia came clean and asked for foreign help."
      ],
      "id": "en-come_clean-en-verb-MrkjKHRl",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12:"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-come clean.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3d/En-au-come_clean.ogg/En-au-come_clean.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/En-au-come_clean.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "come clean"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English light verb constructions",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verb forms using redundant wikisyntax",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Lithuanian translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "comes clean",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "coming clean",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "came clean",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "come clean",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "come<,,came,come> clean"
      },
      "expansion": "come clean (third-person singular simple present comes clean, present participle coming clean, simple past came clean, past participle come clean)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To confess; admit the truth."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "confess",
          "confess"
        ],
        [
          "admit",
          "admit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To confess; admit the truth."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "1921, B. M. Bower, chapter 6, in Sawtooth Ranch"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "B. M. Bower",
          "w:B. M. Bower"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "1921, B. M. Bower, chapter 6, in Sawtooth Ranch:"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "John Gardner",
          "w:John Gardner (American writer)"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12:"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12:\nPerhaps it is only fair to come clean at the start and confess that I found J.R.R. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales a disappointment.",
        "Perhaps it is only fair to come clean at the start and confess that I found J.R.R. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales a disappointment."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "John Gardner",
          "w:John Gardner (American writer)"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-12:"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12"
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12:"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12:\nWhen the sub got stuck, the brass kept the fact under wraps for 32 hours before Russia came clean and asked for foreign help.",
        "When the sub got stuck, the brass kept the fact under wraps for 32 hours before Russia came clean and asked for foreign help."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 2013-09-12:"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-come clean.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3d/En-au-come_clean.ogg/En-au-come_clean.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/En-au-come_clean.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "fess up"
    },
    {
      "word": "own up"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "和盤托出"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "hépántuōchū",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "和盘托出"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "tǎnbái jiāodài",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "坦白交待"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "tunnustaa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "myöntää"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "avouer"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "se confesser"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "word": "reinen Tisch machen"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "mindent beismer/elismer/bevall"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "kirukkol/előrukkol az igazsággal"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "elmondja az igazat / a teljes igazságot"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "confessare"
    },
    {
      "alt": "こくはくする",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kokuhaku suru",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "告白する"
    },
    {
      "code": "lt",
      "lang": "Lithuanian",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "prisipažinti"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "wkładać między bajki"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "włożyć między bajki"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "mărturisi"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "priznatʹsja",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "признаться"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to confess",
      "word": "confesar"
    }
  ],
  "word": "come clean"
}

Download raw JSONL data for come clean meaning in English (5.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.