exterminator

American

[ik-stur-muh-ney-ter] / ɪkˈstɜr məˌneɪ tər /

noun

a person or thing that exterminates.
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

"The Exterminator" by Kirsten Weir

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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.

One is the Jewish son of an exterminator who rose to Harvard; the other the cerebral product of a striving Black middle class.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

“Bees are still wild animals” but nothing to call an exterminator for, Durboraw said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 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

"I've got an exterminator coming in tomorrow to do another set of sprays," he told the BBC on Friday.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2023

A roar of noise—an exterminator just leaving a house, pump bellowing—overtakes them.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023