cleaner

[klee-ner]

noun

1. a person who cleans, especially one whose regular occupation is cleaning cleaning offices, buildings, equipment, etc.

2. an apparatus or machine for cleaning, cleaning, as a vacuum cleaner.

3. a preparation for use in cleaning, cleaning, as a detergent or chemical bleach.

4. the owner or operator of a dry-cleaning establishment.

   The cleaner said he couldn't get the spot off my coat.

5. Usually cleaners. a dry-cleaning establishment.

   My suit is at the cleaners.

cleaner

/ ˈkliːnə /

noun

1. a person, device, chemical agent, etc, that removes dirt, as from clothes or carpets

2. (usually plural) a shop, etc that provides a dry-cleaning service

3. informal,  to rob or defraud a person of all of his money

Other Word Forms

• precleaner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleaner¹

First recorded in 1425–75, cleaner is from the late Middle English word clener. See clean, -er ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take to the cleaners, 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.

Example Sentences

Check to see what your dry cleaner uses and look for one that uses alternative cleaning methods.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Her first spoken word, which comes to her while gazing in awe upon a “disappearing machine,” as she thinks of it, is the French term for “vacuum cleaner.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It says the model will be more efficient than its competition, make greater revenue for airlines, and have the "highest reliability in its class", with cleaner cabin air and a "smoother ride".

Read more on BBC

Policy support for climate-friendly technologies, such as sustainable heating systems or cleaner freight transport, could accelerate this transformation.

Read more on Science Daily

“Robotaxis mark the beginning of a global transformation in mobility, making transportation safer, cleaner, and more efficient,” Huang said in a news release.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• cleanser 
• disinfectant 
• soap