janitor

noun

ˈja-nə-tər How to pronounce janitor (audio)
Definition of janitornext
1
as in custodian
a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner got a job as the night janitor at the elementary school

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in porter
a person who tends a door according to popular Christian tradition, St. Peter acts as janitor at heaven's pearly gates

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 janitor 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 An April 2025 legionella report obtained by The Sacramento Bee shows the bacteria was found in at least 17 samples, including those taken from the men’s locker room, a women’s bathroom and several janitor closets. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026 The janitor resumed snapping at the bushes with her shears—tiny, clear quartz beads scattered. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 People got jobs quickly, Sy said, at warehouses and factories, as janitors, stocking and packing for big-box stores. — Claire Galofaro, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for janitor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for janitor
  1. custodian
  2. porter
  3. keeper
  4. warden
  5. caretaker
Noun
  • Okwuosa reports the average salary for a custodian is about $45,000 this fiscal year, up from $36,900 in fiscal year 2021-22.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Under what was known as the Status Quo, a set of unwritten understandings between Israel and Jordan, the custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim holy sites, Jews could visit the shrine, but only Muslims could worship there.
    — Ilan Ben Zion, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • An investigation identified several people involved in the plot, such as the prison porter who was apprehended, other inmates and known associates.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Throughout the tour, Candamil draws on his memories growing up in the market, first watching his father and then working there in his youth as a carretillero, a cargo porter who steers upright wooden carts with produce through its narrow aisles.
    — Nikkita Nair, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of porter
Noun
  • But on the next drive, his option keeper for a first down and block on Kenneth Walker’s touchdown run proved a strong response.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Jones flashed his decisiveness and speed on the ensuing play, gaining 14 yards on a quarterback keeper.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • Hosfelt was among nine staff members, including the former warden, arrested in June 2024 and charged with felonies in connection with deaths at the prison.
    — Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Luckily — or maybe unluckily — the camp’s warden, a hardbitten guy with an oily smile named Clancy (Russell Crowe, hardbitten, smiley, and oily), takes a liking to Murphy.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of warden
Noun
  • Friends, who became his primary caretaker, said jazz remained a constant presence.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Police said a 37-year-old woman who worked as a caretaker died in the Thursday morning attack at the school in Leszczydol-Nowiny, northeast of Warsaw.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of caretaker

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jangly
janitor
janitors
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Cite this Entry

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

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