hoover

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

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Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Noun 1.2.1 Translations 1.3 Verb 1.3.1 Derived terms 1.3.2 Translations 1.4 Usage notes 1.5 References

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

The common noun and verb are taken from the brand name Hoover of one of the first vacuum cleaners.

[edit] Noun

hoover (plural hoovers)

1. A generic term for a vacuum cleaner, irrespective of brand.

[edit] Translations

[edit] Verb

to hoover (third-person singular simple present hoovers, present participle hoovering, simple past and past participle hoovered)

1. (transitive, British) To clean (a room, etc) with a vacuum cleaner, irrespective of brand.

   I need to hoover this room.

2. (intransitive, British) To use a vacuum cleaner, irrespective of brand.

   My husband is upstairs, hoovering.

3. (transitive) To suck in or inhale, as if by a vacuum cleaner.
   • 1998 Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, Anchor Books, p. 8

     ...organisms called hantaviruses, which swarm in the micro-haze above the feces of mice and rats and are hoovered into the human respiratory system by anyone unlucky enough to stick a breathing orifice near them...

[edit] Derived terms

• hoover up

[edit] Translations

[edit] Usage notes

• Hoover is a registered trademark of The Hoover Company. Its use as a generic term is a common example of trademark erosion.

[edit] References

• http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hoover Chiefly British