exterminator
Americannoun
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a person or thing that exterminates.
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a person or business establishment specializing in the elimination of vermin, insects, etc., from a building, apartment, etc., especially by the controlled application of toxic chemicals.
Etymology
Origin of exterminator
From the Late Latin word exterminātor, dating back to 1605–15. See extermine, -ator
Vocabulary lists containing exterminator
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.
The second reports calling in a professional exterminator, but after a week or two the mice returned.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
But his second act as humanitarian, house builder, Guinea worm exterminator and Nobel Peace Prize winner was a portrait of perseverance and grace.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2024
A man posing as a pest exterminator tried to gain access to a San Diego hotel that operates as a shelter for migrant families.
From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2024
He didn’t pursue acting full time until he was in his 40s, working for a time as an exterminator.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 24, 2023
Another pawned her sewing machine and summoned an exterminator.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
