hoover
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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Herbert (Clark), 1874–1964, 31st president of the U.S. 1929–33.
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J(ohn) Edgar, 1895–1972, U.S. government official: director of the FBI 1924–72.
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Lou Henry, 1874–1944, U.S. First Lady 1929–33 (wife of Herbert Hoover).
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a town in N central Alabama.
noun
verb
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to vacuum-clean (a carpet, furniture, etc)
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to consume or dispose of (something) quickly and completely
he hoovered up his grilled fish
noun
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Herbert ( Clark ). 1874–1964, US statesman; 31st president of the US (1929–33). He organized relief for Europe during and after World War I, but as president he lost favour after his failure to alleviate the effects of the Depression
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J ( ohn ) Edgar. 1895–1972, US lawyer: director of the FBI (1924–72). He used new scientific methods to combat crime, including the first fingerprint file
Etymology
Origin of hoover
First recorded in 1925–30; after the trademark of a vacuum cleaner manufacturer
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 house was unlocked, the ironing board was out, the hoover plugged in, washing was hanging on the line outside, the medication she needed for Crohn's disease had been left behind.
From BBC
Not a handful of almonds hoovered over the sink.
From Salon
“For all the news about state budgets and immigration enforcement, people are just hoovering up” all the municipal bonds they can find, said Matt Fabian, president of Municipal Market Analytics.
I’m about to recommend a good hoovering, but the Colonel speaks first.
From Literature
Norwegian CEO Bernt Børnich says NEO is very useful in his own home, busily hoovering and tidying up after his family, which he says is "a mix" of autonomous action and human-operated.
From BBC
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.
