janitor

noun

jan·​i·​tor ˈja-nə-tər How to pronounce janitor (audio)
Synonyms of janitor
1
: one who keeps the premises of a building (such as an apartment or office) clean, tends the heating system, and makes minor repairs
2
: doorkeeper

Synonyms of janitor

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of janitor in a Sentence

got a job as the night janitor at the elementary school according to popular Christian tradition, St. Peter acts as janitor at heaven's pearly gates
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Elbert said an airport janitor finally grabbed the bird with her shirt. — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 May Rosenberg, the wife of the critic Harold Rosenberg, once visited Krasner’s studio and assumed that the man hanging around in dungarees, not saying much of anything, was an intellectually disabled janitor. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 Chevazz Campbell, 37, is accused of stabbing and killing Julian Mobley, 41, a husband and father who worked for the Chicago Transit Authority as a janitor, according to FOX 32 Chicago. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Investigators believe Roberts tried to enlist the help of a school janitor to get rid of Russell’s car, penning a note and leaving it hidden inside a cabinet at Linda Lentin K-8 Center in North Miami, where Roberts was working at the time. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for janitor

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from janus arch, gate

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of janitor was in 1629

Browse Nearby Words

janissary music
janitor
janitorial
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Janitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/janitor. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

janitor

noun
jan·​i·​tor ˈjan-ət-ər How to pronounce janitor (audio)
1
: doorkeeper
2
: a person who has the care of a building
janitorial
ˌjan-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əl How to pronounce janitor (audio)
-ˈtȯr-
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All