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

The breakthrough, led by Professor Jaeyune Ryu of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering, could help make chemical manufacturing safer, cleaner, and more efficient.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Computation will be cleaner, more useful and more energy-efficient.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

It was good to be circled by hands that smelled of pine cleaner and to be blotted by her coffee-breath kisses.

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia

People might see cleaners and sprays on supermarket shelves and not look twice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Scented cleaners release terpenes when fragrance compounds evaporate from sprayed droplets or cleaned surfaces.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Dangote wanted this to be "the people's IPO" with drivers, cooks, cleaners and servants having the chance to be part of something big.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 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

Most Scholars who aren’t enslaved work menial jobs—as farmhands or cleaners or stevedores—backbreaking labor for which they’re paid next to nothing.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

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Related Words

• cleanser
• disinfectant
• soap

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