hoover

[hoo-ver]

verb (used with object) (often initial capital letter) Chiefly British.

to clean with a vacuum cleaner.

Origin of hoover

First recorded in 1925–30; after the trademark of a vacuum cleaner manufacturer

Hoover

[hoo-ver]

noun

Herbert (Clark),1874–1964, 31st president of the U.S. 1929–33.

J(ohn) Edgar,1895–1972, U.S. government official: director of the FBI 1924–72.

Lou Henry,1874–1944, U.S. First Lady 1929–33 (wife of Herbert Hoover).

a town in N central Alabama.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hoover

feed, inhale, absorb, ingest, devour, guzzle, swallow, exhaust, ravage, gobble, destroy, eat, mow, gulp, snack, swill, punish, nibble, down, wolf

Examples from the Web for hoover

Contemporary Examples of hoover

Such was the corrosive paranoia of the time, fueled by McCarthy and abetted by Hoover.
I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk
Clive Irving
November 10, 2014
Two years later, Kansas helped oust Curtis—and Hoover—by voting for Franklin Roosevelt and re-electing McGill.
A Loss by Pat Roberts in Kansas? Actually, Not So Bizarre
Jeff Greenfield
October 3, 2014
Later, the White House passed from McKinley to Theodore Roosevelt to Taft, and then from Harding to Coolidge to Hoover.
Political Mythbusting: Third Term’s the Charm
Jeff Greenfield
August 24, 2014
Voters went against him even despite Democratic attempts to portray Hoover as a supporter of racial equality.
How Religion Turned Texas Red
William O’Connor
August 20, 2014
We have now passed the worst,” declared President Hoover, “and with continued unity of effort we shall rapidly recover.
John O’Hara’s Mean, Lean Debut Novel Never Gives In to Despair
Nathaniel Rich
April 30, 2014

Historical Examples of hoover

This brings us to Hoover's connection with the relief of Belgium.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg
Hoover had realized from the beginning what this would mean.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg
Hoover came over to Brussels and, together, we started for Berlin.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg
Hoover realized from the beginning that no income from charity alone could provide it.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg
Hoover had to make his headquarters in London at the Commission's central office.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg

British Dictionary definitions for hoover

Hoover

noun

trademark a type of vacuum cleaner

verb (usually not capital)

to vacuum-clean (a carpet, furniture, etc)

(tr often foll by up) to consume or dispose of (something) quickly and completelyhe hoovered up his grilled fish

Hoover

noun

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hoover

Hoover

proprietary name for a make of vacuum cleaner (patented 1927); sometimes used generally for "vacuum cleaner." As a verb, meaning "to vacuum," from 1926, in the company’s advertising.