clean one's plate

verb

To finish all of the food served to one, without leaving leftovers.

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Meanings

verbclean one's plate (third-person singular simple present cleans one's plate, present participle cleaning one's plate, simple past and past participle cleaned one's plate)

present singular third person cleans one's plate · participle present cleaning one's plate · participle past cleaned one's plate · past cleaned one's plate

  1. To finish all of the food served to one, without leaving leftovers.
Cite this entry
APA

clean one's plate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clean%20one's%20plate

MLA

“clean one's plate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clean%20one's%20plate. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clean one's plate,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clean%20one's%20plate.

Source: clean one's plate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.