broom
Americannoun
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brooms
plural
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an implement for sweeping, consisting of a brush of straw or stiff strands of synthetic material bound tightly to the end of a long handle.
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any shrubby plant belonging to the genus Genista or the genus Cytisus, of the legume family, especially C. scoparius, common in Western Europe on uncultivated ground and having long, slender branches bearing yellow flowers.
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Building Trades. the crushed and spread part at the head of a wooden pile after driving.
verb (used with object)
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to sweep.
Broom the porch.
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to splinter or fray mechanically.
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to crush and spread the top of (a piling, tent peg, etc.) by pounding or driving with a hammer or the like.
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to brush (freshly poured concrete) with a broom to give a nonskid surface, as to walks or driveways.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an implement for sweeping consisting of a long handle to which is attached either a brush of straw, bristles, or twigs, bound together, or a solid head into which are set tufts of bristles or fibres
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any of various yellow-flowered Eurasian leguminous shrubs of the genera Cytisus , Genista , and Spartium , esp C. scoparius
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any of various similar Eurasian plants of the related genera Genista and Spartium
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a newly appointed official, etc, eager to make changes
verb
Pronunciation
Broom and room occur with the vowel of fool or of book. The first is the more common. The pronunciation with the of book is found in New England, eastern Virginia, and South Carolina and Georgia alongside the pronunciation. Farther west the pronunciation is more common, though the pronunciation with the vowel of book occurs everywhere with no marked regional or social pattern. Both pronunciations occur in British standard and folk speech. The pronunciation with predominates in the eastern counties, everywhere else. London lies on the boundary between the two types, and it is thus not surprising that is found in the United States in the coastal areas that had long and close contact with England.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of broom
before 1000; Middle English brome, Old English brōm; cognate with Dutch braam bramble, German Bram broom
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.
See Examples For:
Advancements in AI models have transformed how robots learn, allowing them to more accurately predict the next sequence of joint movements needed to lift a cup or pick up a broom.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
"At least tap water and electricity are working," Kosin said, as he used a broom to sweep out water.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
According to state prosecutors, Castro falsely claimed that Sosa-Celis and another man had attacked an ICE agent with a broom and shovel, and that he had simply acted in self defense.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
When the AI reported “a person is jumping from the roof of a house,” it was Soderstrom again, this time standing up quickly in the lanai and grabbing a hose or broom, she recalled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Jack doubled his grip on May, locking his hands around her stomach and his knees around the bottom of the broom.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Shopkeepers were out early with brooms, picking up large shards of glass as they began the clean-up.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
It was fall, and the entryway smelled aggressively of cinnamon brooms.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
The case was closed without further action by public health inspectors after the on-site manager clarified that only janitorial staff handle brooms and mops, and chefs and cooks do not, according to the report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
In Havana, residents used shovels, brooms and buckets to clear rubbish, mud and branches as they assessed the damage on Thursday.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2024
We sweep and then resweep with our whisk brooms.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
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