Showing results for "cleaner"

• comparative of clean.

cleaner

American  

[klee-ner] / ˈkli nər /

noun

• cleaners
  plural

1. a person who cleans, especially one whose regular occupation is cleaning offices, buildings, equipment, etc.

2. an apparatus or machine for cleaning, as a vacuum cleaner.

3. a preparation for use in cleaning, as a detergent or chemical bleach.

4. the owner or operator of a dry-cleaning establishment.

   The cleaner said he couldn't get the spot off my coat.

5. Usually cleaners. a dry-cleaning establishment.

   My suit is at the cleaners.

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idioms

1. take to the cleaners, to cause to lose all or a great deal of one's money or personal property, as through gambling or a bad investment.

   He got taken to the cleaners in the poker game last night.

cleaner British  

/ ˈkliːnə /

noun

1. a person, device, chemical agent, etc, that removes dirt, as from clothes or carpets

2. (usually plural) a shop, etc that provides a dry-cleaning service

3. informal to rob or defraud a person of all of his money

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precleaner
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cleaners
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cleaner

First recorded in 1425–75, cleaner is from the late Middle English word clener. See clean, -er ¹

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Explanation

A cleaner is either a person whose job involves tidying and disinfecting, or it's a substance used to do that work, like soap. If the cleaner runs out of window cleaner, they might try using vinegar. Professional cleaners might work in people's homes, in which case you might call them housekeepers, or they might work in office buildings, on work sites, or really anywhere that needs to be cleaned. Some cleaners (like dry cleaners) clean clothing and other textiles. Being a cleaner is hard work — and if you've ever watched workers suspended on scaffolding using big squeegees to clean skyscraper windows, you know that it can be thrilling work, too.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cleaner cleaners

For all of its capabilities, artificial intelligence has yet to save us from tidying up before the cleaner comes.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

WattTime, an environmental tech nonprofit, helps companies time their electric vehicles, phones or other devices to periods when the energy is coming from cleaner power sources.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

"You can get everything you need...it is not confusing. It has got a cleaner aesthetic to it as well."

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

To investigate the possibility of pair density waves, Madhavan's team first needed much cleaner samples of uranium ditelluride.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

Mr. Ramirez offers me the helmet and vacuum cleaner.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Although black holes are often portrayed as cosmic vacuum cleaners that swallow anything nearby, their feeding behavior is far more complicated.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Khan also said there had been rats at the venue for a long time and that cleaners were told to check daily for rat droppings.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

“It is so common to have house cleaners, housekeepers ... but why isn’t there someone that you can rely on as a second set of hands to do anything you would do for your family?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The inventor behind pricey yet sleekly designed vacuum cleaners, hair dryers and other household appliances is turning his focus to oral care with an AI-powered toothbrush that promises to floss teeth at the same time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

I only got to bring me two toys: pipe cleaners, and a monkey-sock monkey.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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Related Words

• cleanser
• disinfectant
• soap

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