diff --git a/src/Init/Lean/Meta/Tactic.lean b/src/Init/Lean/Meta/Tactic.lean
index af6c31eb8b..7c971ff0eb 100644
--- a/src/Init/Lean/Meta/Tactic.lean
+++ b/src/Init/Lean/Meta/Tactic.lean
@@ -8,3 +8,4 @@ import Init.Lean.Meta.Tactic.Intro
 import Init.Lean.Meta.Tactic.Assumption
 import Init.Lean.Meta.Tactic.Apply
 import Init.Lean.Meta.Tactic.Revert
+import Init.Lean.Meta.Tactic.Clear
diff --git a/src/Init/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Clear.lean b/src/Init/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Clear.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9e2c9da06b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Init/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Clear.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2020 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Leonardo de Moura
+-/
+prelude
+import Init.Lean.Meta.Tactic.Util
+
+namespace Lean
+namespace Meta
+
+def clear (mvarId : MVarId) (fvarId : FVarId) : MetaM MVarId :=
+withMVarContext mvarId $ do
+  checkNotAssigned mvarId `clear;
+  lctx ← getLCtx;
+  unless (lctx.contains fvarId) $
+    throwTacticEx `clear mvarId ("unknown hypothesis '" ++ mkFVar fvarId ++ "'");
+  tag ← getMVarTag mvarId;
+  mctx ← getMCtx;
+  lctx.forM $ fun localDecl =>
+    unless (localDecl.fvarId == fvarId) $
+      when (mctx.localDeclDependsOn (fun fvarId' => fvarId' == fvarId) localDecl) $
+        throwTacticEx `clear mvarId ("hypothesis '" ++ localDecl.value ++ "' depends on '" ++ mkFVar fvarId ++ "'");
+  mvarDecl ← getMVarDecl mvarId;
+  when (mctx.exprDependsOn (fun fvarId' => fvarId' == fvarId) mvarDecl.type) $
+    throwTacticEx `clear mvarId ("taget depends on '" ++ mkFVar fvarId ++ "'");
+  let lctx := lctx.erase fvarId;
+  localInsts ← getLocalInstances;
+  let localInsts := match localInsts.findIdx? $ fun localInst => localInst.fvar.fvarId! == fvarId with
+    | none => localInsts
+    | some idx => localInsts.eraseIdx idx;
+  newMVar ← mkFreshExprMVarAt lctx localInsts mvarDecl.type tag MetavarKind.syntheticOpaque;
+  modify $ fun s => { mctx := s.mctx.assignExpr mvarId newMVar, .. s };
+  pure newMVar.mvarId!
+
+end Meta
+end Lean