conditioner

American  

[kuhn-dish-uh-ner] / kənˈdɪʃ ə nər /

noun

• conditioners
  plural

1. a person or thing that conditions.

2. something added to a substance to increase its usability, as a water softener.

3. a cream or liquid preparation applied to the hair or skin, especially for its emollient qualities.

4. a trainer of athletes.

5. an air conditioner.

6. Textiles. a person who conditions fibers or fabrics.

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conditioner British  

/ kənˈdɪʃənə /

noun

1. a person or thing that conditions

2. a substance, esp a cosmetic, applied to something to improve its condition

   hair conditioner

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• conditioners
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conditioner

First recorded in 1590–1600; condition + -er ¹

Explanation

The job of a conditioner is to make something soft. If you use conditioner after you shampoo your hair, it will feel smoother and softer. Hair conditioner is just one kind of conditioner — you might also treat your laundry with conditioner, softening your clothes, or your water with a conditioner that improves its quality. Another kind of conditioner is one that gets you physically into condition, or fitness. This might be an exercise or a teacher or trainer who instructs you in doing the exercise. Conditioner comes from the Old French condicion, "state or behavior," from the Latin condicionem, "situation."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conditioner conditioners

On the day of the fire, authorities suggested the fire had started from a spark in the ward's air conditioner.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

SANTORINI, Greece—John Volkoff spent a half-hour inside a cave here in July, with his head tilted sideways under the ceiling and the temperature rising because his 6-foot-3 frame was blocking the air conditioner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Preliminary investigations suggest the blaze was caused by a short circuit in an air conditioner, which quickly cut power throughout the bar.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Clad in pink and purple and wielding a pink power drill, Liu Xingyun, founder of Shero, deftly took an air conditioner to bits when AFP accompanied her on a recent home visit.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

“He has every right to use the weight room. And tomorrow, put some leave-in conditioner in your hair before class.”

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

His daily rounds include checking the facility’s air-handler gallery, where massive air conditioners pump cool air into the rest of the data center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

A steady supply of power is vital for the air conditioners maintaining the right temperature inside Chizay's storage rooms.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Portable air conditioners: The clue is in the name.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

As whole house fans and swamp coolers can suck additional pollutants inside, the department recommends using air purifiers or air conditioners as alternatives when possible.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

It was hot as blazes outside—humid, too, and inside our house, all the air conditioners hummed in the windows.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings