idiom · neutral
clear the air
UK/klɪə(r) ði ˈeə(r)/US/klɪr ði ˈer/CLEAR the AIR
speakingtask2
to remove tension or misunderstanding by talking honestly about a problem
Examples
“We had a frank conversation to clear the air after the argument.”
“It’s best to clear the air sooner rather than let rumours grow.”
“A meeting was held to clear the air between the departments.”
Band 8 sentence
“After weeks of tension, the manager called a meeting to clear the air and rebuild trust.”
Collocations
- clear the air between
- clear the air with someone
Word family
clear the air idiomcleared the air idiom (past)
Common mistakes
clear air→clear the air
clear up the air→clear the air
Say it for a higher band
5resolve the problem→6clear things up→7+clear the air
Synonyms
set things straight
Easily confused
clear things up
“They had a meeting to clear things up after the misunderstanding.”
Related words
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