custodian
Americannoun
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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
- custodianship noun
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.
You may want to get help with the calculation from the IRA custodian or your tax adviser.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026
There, Kani’s friend Fats Bookholane introduced him to a company member he’d mistaken for a custodian.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
These are custodial accounts, so the custodian, typically a parent, would make decisions around rollovers and investments on behalf of the child.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
The Wordsworth Trust has been the custodian of Dove Cottage, the Wordsworths' first Lake District home, since it was founded in 1891.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
Jerry recognized the plodding gait of the building custodian who evidently had been drawn out of his basement apartment by the voices.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
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.
