custodian

noun

ˌkə-ˈstō-dē-ən How to pronounce custodian (audio)
Definition of custodiannext
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 The college currently consists of 11 officers of arms, who undertake the genealogical research and act as custodians of the records. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026 In order to receive the tax advantages of a gold IRA, the IRS requires your precious metals to be held by a qualified custodian. — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 12 June 2026 Obama stopped by the Jackson Park facility to hear personal stories from custodians, security guards, visitor services staffers, and more. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 8 June 2026 In January of 2022, this Prancing Horse was sold to its current custodian, yacht designer Terence Disdale, whose creations include the 533-foot Eclipse, commissioned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for custodian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for custodian
  1. keeper
  2. guardian
  3. defender
  4. janitor
  5. warden
  6. protector
  7. caretaker
  8. guard
Noun
  • Norwegian keeper Orjan Nyland dove to his left to stop Guimarães’ attempt, Brazil’s first unsuccessful World Cup penalty shot, not including shootouts, since 1986.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 6 July 2026
  • The best opportunity for Portugal came through Nuno Mendes, whose deflected shot rocketed off the crossbar after cleanly beating Spanish keeper Unai Simón.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • What parents can do Whether or not Pennsylvania’s bell-to-bell ban bill becomes law, parents and guardians remain central to helping children develop healthy phone habits and communication skills.
    — Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • If the school declares an emergency, students may be provided with prepared text messages to keep their parents or guardians informed.
    — Chaewon Chung Updated July 6, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup chipped the ball toward the goal from the left side, and Haaland leaped, swung his neck and headed it into the net, outjumping Brazil’s 6-foot-3 defender Gabriel Magalhães, his Premier League nemesis.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 6 July 2026
  • Before Mbappe scored his penalty, Gustavo Velazquez, the Paraguayan defender, scuffed the penalty spot, another underhanded attempt to disturb the tournament favourites.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of defender
Noun
  • The janitor of the school is more important than the principal.
    — Mac Engel June 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026
  • Broadwater, then 20, had grown up as one of six children of a janitor who worked for Syracuse University.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Definition of janitor
Noun
  • Judge McCaslin weighed in on the laptop issue during Monday's hearing, saying that the prison warden would not allow Murdaugh to keep a laptop in his cell due to safety concerns.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • McAndrew served as warden of Florida State Prison in the mid-’90s, when Florida still used the electric chair.
    — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Definition of warden
Noun
  • Civic duty My family believed in government, for all its flaws, as a protector of the people.
    — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • Defense The primary reason the Lakers likely chose Kessler over offering a max deal to Detroit Pistons restricted free agent Jalen Duren is that Kessler is one of the NBA’s best rim protectors.
    — Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of protector
Noun
  • The congregation started to arrive at the usual time, about half an hour before Mass on a recent Saturday afternoon, the old church slowly filling with the descendants and caretakers of a place of great serenity but also great loss.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Jack Nicholson plays the new caretaker of a remote Colorado hotel in the offseason, bringing his family and hoping to overcome writer's block.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of caretaker
Noun
  • Former Houston standout guard Kingston Flemings hit a deep jumper — his toe was ruled on the 3-point line — with three seconds left in OT, slicing Utah’s lead to one, 100-99.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2026
  • Tempers flared late in the fourth quarter when Kings center Dylan Cardwell and Nets guard Egor Demin wrestled for a loose ball.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of guard

Browse Nearby Words

cusswords
custodian
custodians
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Custodian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/custodian. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on custodian

Nglish: Translation of custodian for Spanish Speakers

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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All