Meanings
verbclean up one's act (third-person singular simple present cleans up one's act, present participle cleaning up one's act, simple past and past participle cleaned up one's act)
present singular third person cleans up one's act · participle present cleaning up one's act · participle past cleaned up one's act · past cleaned up one's act
- idiomaticTo reform; to improve one's habits.
Someday I'm going to clean up my act and start researching more carefully.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 改善自己的習慣 /改善自己的习惯, 改邪歸正 /改邪归正
- 改善自己的習慣 /改善自己的习惯 (gǎishàn zìjǐ de xíguàn)reform
- 改邪歸正 /改邪归正 (gǎixiéguīzhèng)reform
Finnish parantaa tapansa
- parantaa tapansareform
French se ranger des voitures, s'acheter une conduite
- se ranger des voituresreform
- s'acheter une conduitereform
German zusammenreißen, seine Gewohnheiten verändern
- zusammenreißenreform
- seine Gewohnheiten verändernreform
Italian darsi una regolata, mettersi in riga
- darsi una regolatareform
- mettersi in rigareform
Polish zbierać się do kupy, pozbierać się do kupy
- zbierać się do kupyreform
- pozbierać się do kupyreform
Russian исправля́ться, испра́виться
- исправля́ться (ispravljátʹsja)reform
- испра́виться (isprávitʹsja)reform
Cite this entry
APA
clean up one's act. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clean%20up%20one's%20act
MLA
“clean up one's act.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clean%20up%20one's%20act. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clean up one's act,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clean%20up%20one's%20act.
Source: clean up one's act on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.