an act or instance of making clean

Give the house a good cleaning.

Slang . an overwhelming or complete defeat, financial loss, or failure

Our team took a cleaning in yesterday's game.

Informal . killing ( def. 3 ) .

noun

purge , purgation , scrubbing , scouring , purification , ablution , sweeping , brushing , dusting , antisepsis , prophylaxis , sterilization , sanitation , washing , shampooing , deodorizing , disinfection , catharsis , tidying