vacuum cleaner

noun

: a household appliance for cleaning floors, carpets, upholstery, etc. by suction

called also vacuum sweeper

Examples of vacuum cleaner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is especially true of vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and dishwashers—and the dishwasher should be cleaned about once a month, starting with the filter. — Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Aug. 2026

Their vacuum cleaners had originally been designed to suck asbestos out of old buildings; a vacuum bag could hold forty pounds of caterpillars and their nests, and a worker could fill three bags a day. — Ben Crair, New Yorker, 31 July 2026

During these trainings, staff at the INL can be seen picking up a tiny bits of rounded black glass from a worktable using a vacuum cleaner with a specialized attachment. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 31 July 2026

But the sweeping prohibition covers a wide variety of robots manufactured anywhere abroad, including the newest robot vacuum cleaners. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for vacuum cleaner

• intervener
• intervenor
• misdemeanor
• misdemeanour
• convener
• convenor
• demeanor
• demeanour
• diener
• gleaner
• greener
• keener

Kids Definition

vacuum cleaner

noun

: an electrical appliance for cleaning (as floors or rugs) by suction