custodian

1 of 2

noun (1)

cus·​to·​di·​an ˌkə-ˈstō-dē-ən 

: one that guards and protects or maintains

especially : one entrusted with guarding and keeping property or records or with custody or guardianship of prisoners or inmates

custodianship

ˌkə-ˈstō-dē-ən-ˌship 

noun

custodianship

2 of 2

noun (2)

cus·​to·​di·​an·​ship ˌkə-ˈstō-dē-ən-ˌship 

kə-

: the office or duty of a custodian

the sense of custodianship of a faith received

—R. M. French

Synonyms of custodian

Noun (1)

• keeper
• janitor
• warden
• caretaker
• guardian

Examples of custodian in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the custodian made his usual rounds of the building to make sure that everything was OK

served as custodian of the prisoner until he could be turned over to federal authorities

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Instead, regulators should encourage disclosure of material cryptographic risks, require major intermediaries to maintain upgrade and incident-response plans, and support coordination between public agencies, developers, custodians, and infrastructure providers. — Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Williams has never lacked interpreters, custodians, handlers, or rescuers with pruning shears. — Literary Hub, 26 June 2026

In January of 2022, this Prancing Horse was sold to its current custodian, yacht designer Terence Disdale, whose creations include the 533-foot Eclipse, commissioned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 22 June 2026

Common fees for Gold IRAs include setup, annual custodian, storage, and dealer markups. — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 12 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1602, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for custodian

• cambodian
• collodion
• nickelodeon

Kids Definition

custodian

noun

cus·​to·​di·​an ˌkəs-ˈtōd-ē-ən 

1

: someone who guards and protects or takes care of something for another person

2

: someone who cleans and takes care of a building : janitor sense 2

Legal Definition

custodian

noun

cus·​to·​di·​an

: an individual entrusted with guarding and keeping property or having custody of a person: as

a

: the warden of a prison

b

: a person given custody of a child by court order

c

: a person named to manage a child's property under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act

d

: a person or entity appointed by a bankruptcy court to take charge of the debtor's property for purposes of administration

custodianship noun