- The confusion has cleared.
- The problem has solved.
Actually, I've looked up in many reputed dictionaries and haven't found any usage of "solve" and "clear" in the way in which these are used in the above sentences. But when I google these usages, I find many results on reputed websites using "solve" and "clear" in that way. This is what I found on Wikipedia:
After the confusion has cleared, the schoolmaster and Anton have an honest discussion.
I want to know whether these sentences are correct or not. If these are correct, why are these usages not in any dictionaries?
If these usages are incorrect, why are they being used commonly?
Best Answer
Your first sentence is possible, though doesn't sound very natural in my opinion.
Using the phrasal verb clear up is better because it is clearer and sounds more natural. Additionally, it's much more natural to use the passive form here since we don't explain who (or how) the confusion has been cleared up.
Your second example is wrong. It lacks grammatical elements which are imperative to correct communication. The easiest way to resolve this problem is to use something like this:
Like before, we can use the passive here.
This may be why you struggled to get some help from dictionaries. Additionally, the verbs clear and solve have a variety of different meanings, but both the links above contain references to your examples (clear = v. tr. def. 3 & solve = v. tr. def. 1).