cleaner
[ klee-ner ]
/ ˈkli nər /
noun
a person who cleans, especially one whose regular occupation is cleaning offices, buildings, equipment, etc.
an apparatus or machine for cleaning, as a vacuum cleaner.
a preparation for use in cleaning, as a detergent or chemical bleach.
the owner or operator of a dry-cleaning establishment: The cleaner said he couldn't get the spot off my coat.
Usually cleaners. a dry-cleaning establishment: My suit is at the cleaners.
Nearby words
Idioms
take to the cleaners, Slang. to cause to lose all or a great deal of one's money or personal property, as through gambling or a bad investment: He got taken to the cleaners in the poker game last night.
Origin of cleaner
Related forms
pre·clean·er, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for take to the cleaners
cleaner
/ (ˈkliːnə) /
noun
a person, device, chemical agent, etc, that removes dirt, as from clothes or carpets
(usually plural) a shop, etc that provides a dry-cleaning service
take a person to the cleaners informal to rob or defraud a person of all of his money
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
Idioms and Phrases with take to the cleaners
take to the cleaners
Take or cheat one out of all of one's money or possessions, as in Her divorce lawyer took him to the cleaners, or That broker has taken a number of clients to the cleaners. [Slang; early 1900s]
Drub, beat up, as in He didn't just push you—he took you to the cleaners. [Slang; early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.