cleaner
nounUK /ˈkliː.nə/ · US /ˈkli.nɚ/
Etymology Inherited from Middle English clener, clenere, equivalent to clean + -er (agent noun suffix).
1
A person whose occupation is to clean things, especially rooms, floors, and windows.
- The cleaner worked, of course, at nights. He had to coal and light up the engine, as well as clean it, for the next day's work, which commenced with a light run to Barnham to "bring in the goods" from that station at about 6.30 a.m.1952 February, J. Pelham Maitland, “Locomotive Working on Sussex Branches Fifty Years Ago”, in Railway Magazine, page 84:
2
A device that cleans, such as the vacuum cleaner.
3
A substance used for cleaning; especially, one retailed for that purpose and meant for use on things other than one's own body.
- Near-synonym: cleaning fluid
4
In plural A professional laundry or dry cleaner (business).
- I'll have to take this shirt to the cleaners.
- Derived terms
- air cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, cleaneress, cleaner fish, cleaner shrimp, cleaner-upper, cleaner-upperer, crime scene cleaner, deep cleaner, denture cleaner, drain cleaner, dry cleaner, engine cleaner, glass cleaner, housecleaner, pipe cleaner, service cleaner, streetcleaner, street cleaner, suction cleaner, tongue cleaner, vacuum cleaner, way-cleaner, window cleaner
- Related terms
- cleanser, take to the cleaners