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Noun: clearance  kleer-un(t)s
  1. The distance by which one thing clears another; the space between them
    "The clearance between the car and the garage ceiling was barely enough"; "The ship needed a certain clearance to pass under the bridge"
     
  2. Vertical space available to allow easy passage under something
    "The bridge didn't have enough clearance for large trucks";
    - headroom, headway
     
  3. Permission to proceed
    "the plane was given clearance to land"
     
  4. Official permission or approval
    "clearance for the program was renewed several times";
    - authority, authorization, authorisation [Brit], sanction
     
  5. (medicine) the rate of removal of substances from the blood
    "The drug had a high clearance rate, quickly leaving the bloodstream"

Derived forms: clearances

Type of: elbow room, interval, licence [Brit, Cdn], license [N. Amer], permission, permit, room, separation, way

Encyclopedia: Clearance