dry cleaner

American  

noun

1. a business that dry-cleans garments, draperies, etc.

2. a person who owns or operates such an establishment.

3. a liquid solvent used in dry cleaning.

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Etymology

Origin of dry cleaner

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Check to see what your dry cleaner uses and look for one that uses alternative cleaning methods.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

A dry cleaner has said businesses just 10 miles away can charge a quarter of the price for services due to differing energy prices between regions.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2025

The contamination — detected in the early 1980s — was blamed on a poorly maintained fuel depot and indiscriminate dumping on the base, as well as from an off-base dry cleaner.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2024

And some of the hurdles faced by penthouse-living, dry cleaner empire-ruling George Jefferson are still in place, but they never stopped Sherman Hemsley’s self-assured strut.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2023

“Come meet my grandbabies!” he would call out with pride to Clantons barber or grocer or dry cleaner.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry