janitor

janitor — noun

1. a person who works in a school, office, or other large building cleaning rooms,

1.nounB1
Definition

a person who works in a school, office, or other large building cleaning rooms, taking out rubbish, making small repairs, and keeping the building in good condition

Example

The school janitor unlocked the gym doors every morning before the students arrived.

collocation: school janitor — typical work location

After the community concert, the janitor swept the hall and gathered the empty cups.

Common collocations
  • school janitor
  • building janitor
  • night janitor
  • hire a janitor
  • work as a janitor
  • the janitor's closet
Synonyms
  • caretaker

    more common in the UK; often implies broader responsibility for a building including security and minor repairs

  • custodian

    more formal term used especially in US schools and official job titles

  • cleaner

    focuses only on cleaning tasks, not repairs or maintenance

Grammar Patterns

a/the janitor

janitor + of [building]

work as a janitor

Usage Note

In North America, 'janitor' is the most common term for a person who cleans and maintains a building. In the UK, 'caretaker' or 'cleaner' is used more often for similar roles.

Common Mistakes

Our janitor collects the rent every month.
Our janitor cleans the building and makes small repairs every week.
a janitor maintains the building; they do not handle money or manage tenants.

Word family

  • janitorial
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'janitor', 'caretaker', 'custodian', and 'cleaner' all describe people who look after buildings, they differ in scope and region. 'Janitor' is the standard North American term for someone who cleans and makes minor repairs in schools, offices, or apartments. 'Caretaker' is its British equivalent but often implies wider duties such as locking up and overseeing the property. 'Custodian' is more formal and is common in official US job titles (e.g., 'school custodian'), sometimes carrying a sense of guarding or protecting the building. 'Cleaner' is the narrowest term — it covers only cleaning tasks like sweeping, mopping, and emptying bins, not repairs or maintenance. For example, you would ask a janitor or caretaker to fix a broken door handle, but you would ask a cleaner only to mop the floor.

caretakercustodiancleaner ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • school janitor
  • building janitor
  • night janitor
  • janitor's closet
  • janitor's office

Phrases

  • work as a janitor
  • hire a janitor
  • call the janitor

Prepositions

  • janitor of [a school/an apartment building]

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'janitor' comes from Latin 'ianitor', meaning 'doorkeeper' or 'porter', which itself comes from 'ianua' (door). It entered English through French in the 1500s with the original meaning of a person who guards a door or gate. Over the 1800s, the meaning shifted in American English from door-keeper to someone who takes care of a whole building — cleaning, heating, and repairing it.