taken to the cleaners

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Beyond Los Angeles, there are glimmers of hope that Californians may be tiring of being taken to the cleaners.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

There's also a feeling that if they click then the Wallabies - shorn again of the wonderful Rob Valetini in their back row - will be taken to the cleaners.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2025

Not only did customers of outfits like brokers FTX and Voyager, and stablecoin TerraUSD/Luna, get taken to the cleaners, the currency at the heart of the bubble, bitcoin, lost around two-thirds of its value.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 2, 2023

“We can get taken to the cleaners in a major hurry if we are not careful with this.”

From Reuters • Jan. 10, 2020

In my eagerness to please, I accidentally complimented chipped baseboards and sacks of laundry waiting to be taken to the cleaners.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris