hoovering

IPA/hˈuːvəɹɪŋ/
IPA/hˈuːvɚɹɪŋ/

hoovering — noun

1. the household chore of running an electric suction machine over carpets, rugs, o

1.nounB1
Definition

the household chore of running an electric suction machine over carpets, rugs, or hard floors to pull away fine particles like crumbs, hair, and household dust.

Example

Rohan does the hoovering every Saturday morning before his friends come over.

collocation: do the hoovering

Yara finished the hoovering just as her parents pulled into the driveway.

collocation: finish the hoovering

Common collocations
  • do the hoovering
  • finish the hoovering
  • start the hoovering
  • a bit of hoovering
Synonyms
  • vacuuming

    neutral; standard in American English

  • cleaning

    broader chore label; covers wiping and dusting too, not just suction work

Grammar Patterns

do the hoovering

finish the hoovering

Usage Note

Mainly British English; Americans usually say 'vacuuming'. Used as an uncountable noun, often after 'do', 'finish', or 'start' with 'the'.

Common Mistakes

I did three hooverings today.
I did the hoovering three times today.
'hoovering' is uncountable, so use 'the hoovering' rather than counting it.

hoovering — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four describe removing dirt from floors, but the tool and register differ. 'Hoover' and its present participle 'hoovering' are British and informal, taken from the brand name and used for any electric vacuum cleaner. 'Vacuum' is the neutral, American-leaning verb that fits both casual and written contexts. 'Clean' is the most general — it covers wiping surfaces, washing dishes, or tidying, not just vacuuming. 'Sweep' is the action of pushing dust together with a brush or broom, not sucking it up. So a Londoner might say 'I'm hoovering the stairs', a New Yorker 'I'm vacuuming the stairs', and a parent reminding a child to 'clean your room' is asking for the whole job, while 'sweep the kitchen' implies a broom rather than a machine.

hoover ↗vacuum ↗clean ↗sweep ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • do the hoovering
  • hoovering up the crumbs

Prepositions

Etymology

proper noun (brand)English

From the brand name 'Hoover', the American company whose vacuum cleaners became so popular in early-1900s Britain that British speakers turned the name into both a noun and a verb. 'Hoovering' is the present-participle / gerund form, used since the 1920s as a general word for vacuum-cleaning regardless of the actual machine's maker.