different between sweeper vs cleaner

English

Etymology

From Middle English swepere, swepare, equivalent to sweep +? -er.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?swip?/

Noun

sweeper (plural sweepers)

1. One who sweeps floors or chimneys.
2. A detector (for mines).
3. Any of the small, tropical marine perciform fishes of the family Pempheridae, typically with deeply keeled, compressed bodies and large eyes.
4. (soccer) A defender who is the last line of defence before the goalkeeper.
5. (curling) A person who sweeps the ice ahead of the rock in play.
6. (cricket) A batsman who plays sweep shots.
7. (cricket) A fielding position along the boundary; a fielder in this position.
8. A tree that has fallen over a river with branches extending into the water.
   • ..tree will be hanging over the water about canoe level (a sweeper).. Basic Essentials Canoe Paddling, 3rd - Page 62
   • So named because they can sweep passengers from a boat, they can also capsize a canoe, especially when paddlers lean too far away from the sweeper.. River Running: Canoeing, Kayaking, Rowing, Rafting - Page 102
9. A carpet sweeper.
10. (US, regional, including Ohio and Indiana) A vacuum cleaner.
11. (regional, including Cebu) A group of students tasked at cleaning the homeroom after class dismissal.

Derived terms

• carpet sweeper
• minesweeper
• street sweeper

Translations

Anagrams

• weepers

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?kli.n?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?kli?.n?/
• Rhymes: -i?n?(?)

Etymology 1

clean +? -er (“agent noun”)

Noun

cleaner (plural cleaners)

1. A person whose occupation is to clean floors, windows and other things.
2. A device that cleans, such as the vacuum cleaner.
3. A substance used for cleaning, a cleaning agent.
4. (in the plural) A professional laundry or dry cleaner (business). (This form is now interpreted as plural and usually spelled without an apostrophe, even in official usage, to justify the removal of the apostrophe. It was traditionally spelled cleaner's with an apostrophe because this is grammatically correct, as can be seen with forms such as go to the doctor's, which cannot be reinterpreted as plural.)

   I'll have to take this shirt to the cleaners.

5. (slang) A hitman; a hired assassin, usually in the employ of an organized crime syndicate, such as the mafia.

Derived terms

• cleaner fish
• vacuum cleaner

Related terms

• (sense 3) cleanser
• take to the cleaners

Translations

Etymology 2

clean + -er

Adjective

cleaner

1. comparative form of clean: more clean

Anagrams

• Carlene, reclean