custodians

noun

plural of custodian
1
as in keepers
a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner the custodian made his usual rounds of the building to make sure that everything was OK

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2
as in guardians
a person or group that watches over someone or something served as custodian of the prisoner until he could be turned over to federal authorities

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3
as in defenders
someone that protects we must regard ourselves as custodians of the Earth so that its natural resources may be enjoyed by many generations to come

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of custodians This includes medical staff at state prisons, technology specialists at California Highway Patrol and custodians at state hospitals. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Undeath have signed with those custodians of heavy music over at Relapse and debuted a new song for the label. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026 Officers emerged from that coup as the architects of the new state and cast themselves as the custodians of its national interest. — Abdelrahman Elgendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 The salary raises would go to custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and teachers to help DPS retain staff. — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2026 But without custodians, this will cease to be the case in the long term. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 However, those lawyers said custodians are not legally required to make charities open accounts to receive funds. — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026 The solution for most Americans retiring in Europe is to work with a cross-border financial advisor who has established relationships with custodians that support overseas Americans. — Shane Clark, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026 The dirty conditions come as the school board voted last month to cut costs and part ways with about 30 union custodians. — Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for custodians
  1. keepers
  2. guardians
  3. defenders
  4. janitors
  5. guards
  6. protectors
  7. caretakers
  8. wardens
Noun
  • DeShields had 76 yards on 13 keepers, including a 7-yard touchdown scamper.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The training keepers this summer — those who traveled and practiced with the USMNT throughout the World Cup but weren’t rostered — were Kochen and Andrew Rick, a 20-year-old Philadelphia Union backup.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of keepers
Noun
  • Four students were involved in a physical fight Thursday morning, sending one student to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries, according to a message sent to parents and guardians.
    — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • When one of her for-hire guardians speaks of her past as a musician, playing the pianoforte (piano) for enraptured listeners, Adelaide is entranced.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of guardians
Noun
  • And the two players in the Heat’s starting unit who haven’t yet earned that honor — Mitchell and Wiggins — are both considered quality perimeter defenders.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Smith tracked the pass from Julian Sayin and outjumped two defenders in the end zone for his 12th touchdown catch of the season and the 39th of his three-year college career.
    — Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of defenders
Noun
  • Shares of Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, whose janitors clean 2 billion square feet of commercial property every day, have been written down to nothing.
    — Ellen DiMauro, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Those excluded were primarily nurses, cooks and janitors stationed at state hospitals and prisons.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of janitors
Noun
  • The fan guards inside the walk-in cooler had accumulated dust.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The original 1971 experiment was conducted by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo, who arbitrarily split volunteers into two groups—inmates and guards—and observed how power corrupted them.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of guards
Noun
  • But the older image of the yakuza as protectors of the community did not disappear altogether.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The grips that slide onto the back of the Joy-Con protectors are modular, too.
    — Cameron Faulkner, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of protectors
Noun
  • Absentee voting is available to the elderly, disabled people and their caretakers, and others.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Osiris' caretakers noticed sudden changes in her behavior and breathing patterns the morning of her death, according to the aquarium.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of caretakers
Noun
  • According to the post, Kentucky State Police Aviation saw smoke in the area, and wardens and search and rescue personnel were able to access the location, near the headwaters of Cave Run Lake, using a boat.
    — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Game wardens did arrest nine people across Georgia for boating under the influence, the majority of whom were at Lake Lanier.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of wardens

Browse Nearby Words

custodian
custodians
custodianship
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Cite this Entry

“Custodians.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/custodians. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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