custodian
Americannoun
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custodians
plural
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a person who has custody; keeper; guardian.
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a person entrusted with guarding or maintaining a property; janitor.
noun
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a person who has custody, as of a prisoner, ward, etc
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a guardian or keeper, as of an art collection, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of custodian
1775–85; < Latin custōdi ( a ) watchman ( see custody) + -an
Compare meaning
How does custodian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
You may know the custodian at your school — the person who's in charge of taking care of the building, in keeping it clean, making sure the heat works, and the roof doesn't leak. The word custodian comes from Latin custos, meaning "guardian," and anyone who looks after something can be a custodian. You might be the custodian of your club's records — you take care of the files and keep them up to date. Or you could be the custodian of the crown jewels — you hold the keys to the treasury and it's your job to make sure the jewels don't get lost or stolen.
Vocabulary lists containing custodian
Frindle
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Unit 1: Ecological Systems
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Awkward
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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:
That’s not to say that independents aren’t well supported; most of them align in some way with a larger custodian for those sorts of things.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
“It is not the job or duty of the custodian to figure out what the asset is worth.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall said Monday that she felt "confident that Sky will be a strong and responsible custodian of ITV M&E, building on its heritage while investing in its future".
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
D’Arcy explains that despite their frayed friendship, Alicent remains “a strange custodian of Rhaenyra’s conscience.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
One afternoon I overheard the black health inspector scream at the bald-headed custodian of the yard.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Many of them had saved money while toiling as farmworkers, cooks, custodians and construction workers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
All the major retirement-account custodians offer this level of service, but it’s not the same as what you’re looking for in terms of an ongoing, personal relationship.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
"The fishermen are the custodians of these places," Seidu said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Others are uneasy about storing crypto themselves, working with unfamiliar third-party custodians or navigating a market many financial advisers still avoid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Every employee from custodians to the director must carry his or her keys at all times.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
