in the clear

prepositional phrase

Not guilty or not suspected of wrongdoing.

“FM radio stations are broadcast in the clear.”

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. USidiomaticNot guilty or not suspected of wrongdoing.

    Offshore sports betting . . .is judged illegal in the U.S. under laws originally drawn up in the '60s; sites offering casino-style virtual gaming claimed they were in the clear.

    2006 July 23, “Risky Business”, in Time
  2. radio or data transmissionTransmitted without encryption or scrambling.

    FM radio stations are broadcast in the clear.

  3. idiomaticNo longer in danger.

    “Think we're in the clear?” Leif asked, still studying the rooftops and doorways for new threats. Before Nick could answer, the whole world exploded in fire and smoke.

    2013, Alexis Morgan, A Soldier's Heart: A Snowberry Creek Novella (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse), Penguin, →ISBN
Cite this entry
APA

in the clear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20clear

MLA

“in the clear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20clear. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the clear,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20clear.

Source: in the clear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.