hoover

hoo-ver · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    To clean with a vacuum cleaner.

  2. 2.

    A vacuum cleaner (often used generically regardless of brand).

  3. 3.

    (Informal) To consume or absorb quickly and in large amounts.

Related words

See also: clean, sweep, vacuum
Synonyms: vacuum, vacuum-clean

Etymology

From the brand name Hoover, after William Henry Hoover (1849-1932), whose company was one of the first to manufacture and widely market vacuum cleaners. The brand name became genericized in British English to refer to any vacuum cleaner.