Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To put into order; make neat.
 
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb   To make 
neat ;arrange in anorderly , tidy way; totidy . 
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb put (things or places) in order
 - verb care for one's external appearance
 
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Carefully trim the overhanging pastry to neaten.6.
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For projects with no hope of making the deadline, workers toiled instead to put up screening walls, or to neaten the piles of I-beams and rebar that normally littered the sites.
China's Way Forward 2009
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When told of her husband's efforts to neaten the home that day, Ms. Leight laughed, then said he's actually loosened up over the years.
Obsessive-Compulsive Design Juliet Chung 2011
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For projects with no hope of making the deadline, workers toiled instead to put up screening walls, or to neaten the piles of I-beams and rebar that normally littered the sites.
China's Way Forward 2009
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There is no need to clutter the entire home with a sewing project, if you neaten and clean as you sew.
Home Living 2009
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It's time to neaten up and reconsider the good old-fashioned blanket
Down With Comforters! Sara Ruffin Costello 2011
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For projects with no hope of making the deadline, workers toiled instead to put up screening walls, or to neaten the piles of I-beams and rebar that normally littered the sites.
China's Way Forward 2009
 - 
								
For projects with no hope of making the deadline, workers toiled instead to put up screening walls, or to neaten the piles of I-beams and rebar that normally littered the sites.
China's Way Forward 2009
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Still, given the tall grass in his yard, the goat company returned with a scythe to neaten up.
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Still, given the tall grass in his yard, the goat company returned with a scythe to neaten up.
 
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