- comparative of clean.
cleaner
Americannoun
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cleaners
plural
-
a person who cleans, especially one whose regular occupation is cleaning offices, buildings, equipment, etc.
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an apparatus or machine for cleaning, as a vacuum cleaner.
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a preparation for use in cleaning, as a detergent or chemical bleach.
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the owner or operator of a dry-cleaning establishment.
The cleaner said he couldn't get the spot off my coat.
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Usually cleaners. a dry-cleaning establishment.
My suit is at the cleaners.
idioms
noun
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a person, device, chemical agent, etc, that removes dirt, as from clothes or carpets
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(usually plural) a shop, etc that provides a dry-cleaning service
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informal to rob or defraud a person of all of his money
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cleaner
First recorded in 1425–75, cleaner is from the late Middle English word clener. See clean, -er 1
Explanation
A cleaner is either a person whose job involves tidying and disinfecting, or it's a substance used to do that work, like soap. If the cleaner runs out of window cleaner, they might try using vinegar. Professional cleaners might work in people's homes, in which case you might call them housekeepers, or they might work in office buildings, on work sites, or really anywhere that needs to be cleaned. Some cleaners (like dry cleaners) clean clothing and other textiles. Being a cleaner is hard work — and if you've ever watched workers suspended on scaffolding using big squeegees to clean skyscraper windows, you know that it can be thrilling work, too.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On a busy road across from a dry cleaner, the storefront entrance blends into the real tire shop it’s attached to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
It sounded like your previous cleaner was coasting, in addition to leaving sticky marks under your actual coaster.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
"Our experience with pedestrianising Union street and Hill street was that it worked for businesses. It's safer, it's cleaner and it just makes everybody feel better."
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
It still has Bob’s Big Boy, the last restaurant of a once-large chain known for its chubby mascot, and Milt & Edie’s, a quirky pink-awninged 24-hour tailor and dry cleaner dating to the 1980s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Grace Turner became the Tallises’ cleaner the week after Ernest walked away.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
He became a suspect after a clerk at a dry cleaners that had been robbed saw Brambles at a motel and called police.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Among the examples cited by the task force was the case of French programmer Sammy Azdoufal, who reportedly accessed data from thousands of robotic vacuum cleaners made by Chinese manufacturer DJI.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Businesses, public sector organisations and charities can continue to use a hosepipe where it is directly needed for their commercial activities, this includes professional cleaners and car washing services.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Some of the work is physically risky and will require crews being lowered in uspended scaffolds known as swing stages used by window cleaners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
If vacuum cleaners had been invented in those days Polly would have thought it was the sound of a Hoover being worked a long way off—several rooms away and several floors below.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
