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Synonyms

hoover

1 American  
[hoo-ver] / ˈhu vər /

verb (used with object)

(often initial capital letter)

  1. to clean with a vacuum cleaner.

Hoover 2 American  
[hoo-ver] / ˈhu vər /

noun

  1. Herbert (Clark), 1874–1964, 31st president of the U.S. 1929–33.

  2. J(ohn) Edgar, 1895–1972, U.S. government official: director of the FBI 1924–72.

  3. Lou Henry, 1874–1944, U.S. First Lady 1929–33 (wife of Herbert Hoover).

  4. a town in N central Alabama.

Hoover 1 British  
/ ˈhuːvə /

noun

  1. a type of vacuum cleaner

"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

verb

  1. to vacuum-clean (a carpet, furniture, etc)

  2. to consume or dispose of (something) quickly and completely

    he hoovered up his grilled fish
"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
Hoover 2 British  
/ ˈhuːvə /

noun

  1. Herbert ( Clark ). 1874–1964, US statesman; 31st president of the US (1929–33). He organized relief for Europe during and after World War I, but as president he lost favour after his failure to alleviate the effects of the Depression

  2. J ( ohn ) Edgar. 1895–1972, US lawyer: director of the FBI (1924–72). He used new scientific methods to combat crime, including the first fingerprint file

"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

Etymology

Origin of hoover

First recorded in 1925–30; after the trademark of a vacuum cleaner manufacturer

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.

They also said the Roomba would enable Amazon to hoover up data and spy on Americans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Shoppers could face higher prices for phones, laptops and other gadgets next year, manufacturers and analysts warn, as AI data centres hoover up memory chips used in consumer electronics.

From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025

Rising land prices smother our ability to move, suppress fertility rates, stifle innovation, and hoover up resources that might be deployed elsewhere.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2025

When enough of these pebbles clump together, they can collapse under their own weight to form asteroid-sized rocks, which hoover up the material around them until they’ve grown into full-sized planets.

From Space Scoop • Jul. 16, 2025

I whinged that it didn't smell of anything, but she pointed out I wasn't the one who had to hoover and unpick the needles from the carpet.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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.