clear the neighborhood

Definitions

1. 1

   To become gravitationally dominant, such that there are no other bodies of comparable…

   To become gravitationally dominant, such that there are no other bodies of comparable size within its orbit, other than its natural satellites or those otherwise under its gravitational influence.

   • Clearing the neighborhood is one of three necessary criteria for a celestial body to be considered a planet in the Solar System, according to the definition adopted in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union.
2. 2

   Used other than figuratively or idiomatically

   Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see clear, the, neighborhood.

   • He clears the neighborhood and drives toward the busier part of town, unaware he's doing fifty till he skids to meet a red light.
   • Detroit officials could have built the housing projects before they cleared the neighborhood.
   • Since 1969 the group had supported clearing the neighborhood so that a community college could be built on the land.

The neighborhood