janitor

noun

jan·​i·​tor ˈja-nə-tər 

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

• custodian
• keeper
• warden
• caretaker

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

Columbia students, along with outside agitators, broke into an academic building and temporarily detained the janitors inside. —Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Kevin Plucken, a 35-year-old janitor in Cologne, Germany, can only afford to put 20 euros of gas into his car at a time. —ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026

While Capote was still a child writing his first short stories in Monroeville, Alabama, Darger was a middle-aged hospital janitor in Chicago quietly filling his tiny apartment with hundreds of paintings and drawings and thousands and thousands of pages of writing. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026

Brinson got her a job as a janitor at a gym. —Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from janus arch, gate

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

janitor

noun

jan·​i·​tor ˈjan-ət-ər 

1

: doorkeeper

2

: a person who has the care of a building

janitorial

ˌjan-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əl 

-ˈtȯr-

adjective