diff --git a/hashmap.c b/hashmap.c
index bb7c9979b8..922ed07954 100644
--- a/hashmap.c
+++ b/hashmap.c
@@ -174,22 +174,37 @@ void hashmap_init(struct hashmap *map, hashmap_cmp_fn equals_function,
 	map->do_count_items = 1;
 }
 
+static void free_individual_entries(struct hashmap *map, ssize_t entry_offset)
+{
+	struct hashmap_iter iter;
+	struct hashmap_entry *e;
+
+	hashmap_iter_init(map, &iter);
+	while ((e = hashmap_iter_next(&iter)))
+		/*
+		 * like container_of, but using caller-calculated
+		 * offset (caller being hashmap_free_entries)
+		 */
+		free((char *)e - entry_offset);
+}
+
+void hashmap_partial_clear_(struct hashmap *map, ssize_t entry_offset)
+{
+	if (!map || !map->table)
+		return;
+	if (entry_offset >= 0)  /* called by hashmap_clear_entries */
+		free_individual_entries(map, entry_offset);
+	memset(map->table, 0, map->tablesize * sizeof(struct hashmap_entry *));
+	map->shrink_at = 0;
+	map->private_size = 0;
+}
+
 void hashmap_free_(struct hashmap *map, ssize_t entry_offset)
 {
 	if (!map || !map->table)
 		return;
-	if (entry_offset >= 0) { /* called by hashmap_free_entries */
-		struct hashmap_iter iter;
-		struct hashmap_entry *e;
-
-		hashmap_iter_init(map, &iter);
-		while ((e = hashmap_iter_next(&iter)))
-			/*
-			 * like container_of, but using caller-calculated
-			 * offset (caller being hashmap_free_entries)
-			 */
-			free((char *)e - entry_offset);
-	}
+	if (entry_offset >= 0)  /* called by hashmap_free_entries */
+		free_individual_entries(map, entry_offset);
 	free(map->table);
 	memset(map, 0, sizeof(*map));
 }
diff --git a/hashmap.h b/hashmap.h
index 3b0f2bcade..e9430d582a 100644
--- a/hashmap.h
+++ b/hashmap.h
@@ -235,7 +235,8 @@ void hashmap_init(struct hashmap *map,
 		  const void *equals_function_data,
 		  size_t initial_size);
 
-/* internal function for freeing hashmap */
+/* internal functions for clearing or freeing hashmap */
+void hashmap_partial_clear_(struct hashmap *map, ssize_t offset);
 void hashmap_free_(struct hashmap *map, ssize_t offset);
 
 /*
@@ -268,6 +269,16 @@ void hashmap_free_(struct hashmap *map, ssize_t offset);
  */
 #define hashmap_free(map) hashmap_free_(map, -1)
 
+/*
+ * Basically the same as calling hashmap_free() followed by hashmap_init(),
+ * but doesn't incur the overhead of deallocating and reallocating
+ * map->table; it leaves map->table allocated and the same size but zeroes
+ * it out so it's ready for use again as an empty map.  As with
+ * hashmap_free(), you may need to free the entries yourself before calling
+ * this function.
+ */
+#define hashmap_partial_clear(map) hashmap_partial_clear_(map, -1)
+
 /*
  * Frees @map and all entries.  @type is the struct type of the entry
  * where @member is the hashmap_entry struct used to associate with @map.