# hoover

/ˈhuvɝ/ (US) · /hˈuːvɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hoover
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. to vacuum a floor

verb · CEFR B1 · British English

to clean a floor or carpet using a vacuum cleaner.

For teachers: to clean a surface, typically a carpet or rug, using a vacuum cleaner. Ambitransitive — can be used with or without a direct object.

- I need to hoover the living room before the guests arrive this evening.
- After the renovation was complete, the contractors spent hours hoovering the fine dust that had settled into every corner of the house.

Usage: Commonly used in the UK and Ireland; speakers in North America almost exclusively use 'vacuum'.

### 2. to eat quickly

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to eat or drink something very fast, like a machine sucking up dust.

For teachers: to consume food or drink rapidly and in large quantities. Often used with the particle 'up'.

- The teenagers hoovered up all the pizza in less than five minutes.
- The dog hoovered up the scraps that fell from the table before anyone had a chance to reach for a napkin.

Usage: Frequently appears as the phrasal verb 'hoover up'.

### 3. a vacuum cleaner

noun · CEFR B1 · British English

a machine that sucks up dust and dirt from floors.

For teachers: a vacuum cleaner, regardless of the actual manufacturer. A genericized trademark derived from the Hoover Company.

- The hoover is in the cupboard under the stairs if you need it.
- The old upright hoover finally broke down after twenty years of service, forcing the family to look for a modern cordless replacement.

Teaching tip: While 'Hoover' is a brand name, in the UK it is used as a common noun for any vacuum cleaner.

## Examples

- I need to hoover the living room carpet.
- She decided to hoover the hallway before her guests arrived for dinner.
- The housekeeper spent the morning hoovering the thick Persian rugs to remove the accumulated dust from the winter months.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.