vacuum cleaner

American  

noun

1. an electrical appliance for cleaning carpets, floors, etc., by suction.

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vacuum cleaner British  

noun

1. an electrical household appliance used for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, etc, by suction

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vacuum cleaning
  noun

Etymology

Origin of vacuum cleaner

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

In Somerset, the makers of the 'Henry' vacuum cleaner have just spent £1.5m on new solar panels at their Chard factory.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Could this year’s hottest Valentine’s Day gift be…a vacuum cleaner?

From MarketWatch • Feb. 13, 2026

Quite the contrary: He was a co-founder of IRobot, the maker of the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, though he stepped down as the company’s chief technology officer in 2008 and left its board in 2011.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

The maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner, iRobot, filed for bankruptcy Sunday after 35 years in business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Then I’d go through the refrigerator like a vacuum cleaner, sucking in whatever there was.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood