clearance: Meaning and Definition of

clear•ance

Pronunciation: (klēr'uns), [key]
— n.
  1. the act of clearing.
  2. the distance between two objects; an amount of clear space: The bridge allowed a clearance of 37 feet at mean high water.
  3. a formal authorization permitting access to classified information, documents, etc.
  4. the disposal of merchandise at reduced prices to make room for new goods: He bought the coat for half price at a clearance.
  5. a clear space; a clearing: The house stood in a clearance among the trees.
  6. an exchange of checks and other commercial paper drawn on members of a clearinghouse, usually effected at a daily meeting of the members.
  7. a space between two moving parts, left to avoid clashing or to permit relatively free motion.
  8. the angle between a face of a cutting tool, as a lathe tool, and the work.
    1. the clearing of a ship at a port.
    2. Also calledclear&prim;ance pa&sec;pers.the official papers certifying this.
  9. a test of the excretory function of the kidneys based on the volume of blood that is cleared of a specific substance per minute by renal excretion.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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