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

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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

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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 janitor Broadwater, then 20, had grown up as one of six children of a janitor who worked for Syracuse University. Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 Goodall had toiled 23 years as a janitor in a Terre Haute, Indiana, middle school when the 55-year old hopped a flight for the first time in his life, and took the AGT stage in Los Angeles. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 24 June 2026 Some hospital staff, like janitors and cafeteria workers, still make minimum wage. Cassie McGrath, Fortune, 19 June 2026 In the report, the student said Looney was walking to lunch at the school on March 3, 2025, when Looney asked for their social media contact information from the janitor’s closet, the statement said. Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for janitor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for janitor
Noun
  • More from this past week • A transgender woman who works as a custodian at the University of Kansas was reported for using the wrong restroom under a new state law.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Zuckerberg is referencing OpenAI and Anthropic, which operate on the premise that hyper-smart AI is both inevitable and apocalyptic—and therefore safe only in the hands of the wisest custodians (themselves).
    Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • On the plus side, the maintenance fees feel surprisingly reasonable for the neighborhood — $1,043 a month — which get you a storage unit, gym, playroom, and roof deck, along with a super, a porter, and a part-time doorman.
    Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Pick your brew from over 50 kegs of diverse brews like porters, stouts, sours, and more.
    John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The 23-year-old has been lined up to be the third-choice keeper this season.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Seattle keeper Andrew Thomas had the only save of the match on a shot by Müller in the 52nd minute.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • There is no word on when the search for a new warden will commence.
    Christopher DeRose, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But to Bill Donnelly, the service’s warden, New Jersey’s fire season, like North America’s, can feel unending.
    Robert Sullivan, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • White works for the state as an in-home caretaker for elderly and disabled clients.
    Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Jose Mourinho returns to the Bernabeu thirteen years after his first spell ended, appointed to end a two-season trophy drought that cost Xabi Alonso his job in January and left Álvaro Arbeloa’s caretaker spell without a single piece of silverware.
    Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Janitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/janitor. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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