janitor

American  

[jan-i-ter] / ˈdʒæn ɪ tər /

noun

1. a person employed in an apartment house, office building, school, etc., to clean the public areas, remove garbage, and do minor repairs; caretaker.

2. Archaic. a doorkeeper or porter.

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verb (used without object)

1. to be employed as a janitor.

janitor British  

/ ˌdʒænɪˈtɔːrɪəl, ˈdʒænɪtə /

noun

1. the caretaker of a building, esp a school

2. a person employed to clean and maintain a building, esp the public areas in a block of flats or office building; porter

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Other Word Forms

• janitorial adjective
• janitress noun
• underjanitor noun

Etymology

Origin of janitor

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin jānitor “doorkeeper,” equivalent to jāni- (combining form of jānus “doorway, covered passage”) + -tor -tor

Compare meaning

How does janitor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• custodian vs. janitor

Explanation

A janitor is someone whose job is cleaning and maintaining a building. If your school always looks clean and orderly, be sure to thank the janitor. Another name for a janitor is a custodian, or in Britain, a caretaker. This job involves cleaning and caring for a school, hospital, apartment building, or workplace. Janitors may be responsible for cleaning bathrooms, hallways, and other common areas. Sometimes janitors will also sweep sidewalks, shovel snow, or do other outdoor maintenance. In the 16th century, a janitor was a "doorkeeper," from the Latin ianitor, "doorkeeper or porter," and the root ianua, "door."

Example Sentences

“I’m crying,” said Nidia Perez, a grandmother and school janitor who caught the game in a plaza in Caracas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

The son of parents who fled Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990s, Tiafoe used to sleep on the floor at a plush Maryland tennis centre where his father was a janitor.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

Charley finds direction when a neighborhood janitor invites him into a pickup game.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

The free-form jazz in the film makes the atmosphere almost farcical, a choice that feels even more strange when Bong introduces the apartment complex’s janitor, who has a taste for dog meat.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2025

I would arrive at Commons, chilled and exhausted, just as the janitor was unlocking the building for the day.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• attendant
• custodian
• sitter
• superintendent