1
as in keeper
a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner the custodian made his usual rounds of the building to make sure that everything was OK

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in guardian
a person or group that watches over someone or something served as custodian of the prisoner until he could be turned over to federal authorities

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in defender
someone that protects we must regard ourselves as custodians of the Earth so that its natural resources may be enjoyed by many generations to come

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 custodian But unless data is truly replicated widely, availability still hinges on just a few custodians. Viktor Trón, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025 The showrunners have worked closely with the Preservation Society of Newport County, custodian of more than a dozen historic residences, to get the kind of access that’s rarely granted to film crews. Brent Lang, Variety, 20 June 2025 Saudi Arabia, custodian of Islam’s holy sites, has its own claim to leadership of the world’s Muslims. Karl Vick, Time, 19 June 2025 The delegates, therefore, chose not to explicitly grant Congress the authority to act as the custodian of the civil rights bucket. Literary Hub, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for custodian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for custodian
Noun
  • Wyatt Kaiser is 22 and looks like a keeper.
    Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Isabella’s a keeper with an assistant-manager title in the near future.
    Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The council will also consider measures to hold parents and guardians accountable for their children's actions, including fines and parenting classes for repeat violations.
    Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 8 July 2025
  • Riding on the laurels of military success in Iran, Netanyahu and Trump envision themselves as guardians of the free world.
    Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, Time, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • Chelsea paid a record $1.1 million transfer fee to acquire Girma from the San Diego Wave, and the star USWNT defender committed to the WSL with a four-and-a-half year deal.
    Molly Geary, Sportico.com, 5 July 2025
  • He is also not being represented by a lawyer at this time due to a conflict of interest with the public defender's office.
    Chris Spargo, People.com, 5 July 2025
Noun
  • How many janitors and clerks—who commute for hours from Tehran’s poorest suburbs—are now dead or injured?
    Siamak Namazi, Time, 25 June 2025
  • The janitors who clean their classrooms don’t have a four-year limit before being forced to find another job.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2025
Noun
  • The law only lets the warden impound dogs found running loose or found not wearing valid dog tags.
    Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
  • Inmates spend all day inside, emerging only for 30 minutes of calisthenics or Bible study, according to the warden.
    Eric Cortellessa, Time, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • The Kryptonian — who grew up as Clark Kent on a farm in Smallville, Kan. — always believed a message left to him by these birth parents was an encouragement to use his powers to be a protector and hero.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025
  • His Superman exudes that same affection, casting David Corenswet as a nice guy still trying to figure out the job of being the world’s protector.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • The group also has planted dozens of trees and restored a 100-year-old caretaker’s cottage.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025
  • In 2019, the Brown family sued White,his parents and his medical caretakers for failing to realize how White's disorder could result in harm to others and not properly controlling his behavior.
    Maryam Ahmed, Austin American Statesman, 3 July 2025
Noun
  • One potential reason why Clark’s peers ranked her so low among guards is due to playing only nine of the Fever’s 16 games this season.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
  • Charania also reported that the Nuggets are signing guard Bruce Brown in free agency.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 1 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Custodian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/custodian. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on custodian

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!