janitor

noun jan·i·tor \ ˈja-nə-tər \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Definition of janitor

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

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janitorial

play \ˌja-nə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl\ adjective

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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 of janitor from the Web

Williams is in his third year as a member of the Clean and Green Team after working as a janitor at an elementary school.

— nicholas bogel-burroughs, baltimoresun.com, "LifeBridge Health investment to expand Park Heights landscaping crew's reach," 29 June 2018
Another young woman, Thamara Jean, the daughter of a Haitian janitor living in Brooklyn, became the first Hunter graduate to receive a Rhodes scholarship, the school’s president, Jennifer Raab, told me.

— ginia bellafante, New York Times, "Convergence in the Tale of Two Cities," 1 June 2018
Yeung focuses on three groups of workers: farmworkers, domestic workers and janitors.

— elaine elinson, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘In a Day’s Work,’ by Bernice Yeung," 3 May 2018
So the richest of the rich—like Governor Rauner and Democratic nominee J.B. Pritzker and, oh, hip-hop superstar and Donald Trump backer Kanye West—pay the same 4.95 percent of their incomes as, say, a janitor working for the Chicago Public Schools.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics Rich dudes rejoice: The ‘Fair Tax’ is all but dead in Illinois," 1 May 2018
Thousands of primary-care physicians, mental-health providers, physical therapists, social workers and even janitors are needed, Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), the ranking Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, told Emily.

— paige winfield cunningham, Washington Post, "The Health 202: Ryan also failed to rein in health-care spending," 12 Apr. 2018
According to the Miami Herald, Shalala's 14 years as University of Miami president were a resounding success, but also included a labor dispute over janitors seeking to unionize.

— carolyn mcatee cerbin, USA TODAY, "Donna Shalala to run for U.S. House, replacing Ros-Lehtinen," 6 Mar. 2018
The Service Employees International Union, which represents workers including some state employees, health care workers, and janitors, will hold a rally outside the Capitol this morning.

— paul egan, Detroit Free Press, "Watch Gov. Rick Snyder's final state budget presentation at 11 a.m.," 7 Feb. 2018
Acosta was given the award for his work as a janitor in the university’s library, as well for his willingness to help students with their homework.

— kathleen mcwilliams, courant.com, "Wesleyan Janitor Facing Deportation Honored By University For Service To Students," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'janitor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.