What does ironer mean?
An ironer is a device that presses garments and other fabrics with heat and pressure to remove wrinkles, or a person who performs that task. The machine sense is especially common in laundries, hotels, hospitals, and other settings where large quantities of fabric need to be pressed efficiently. Unlike a handheld iron, an industrial ironer usually has a broad heated surface and may use steam. The older and still valid occupational sense refers to someone whose job is ironing. In general use, “ironer” suggests either the equipment used for professional pressing or the worker who operates it, while the familiar household tool is more usually called an iron. The word is useful when distinguishing a personal iron from commercial pressing equipment or from the person doing the work.
nounAn ironer is a person or device that presses clothes and other fabrics with heat and pressure to remove wrinkles. The term most often refers to a large heated machine used in laundries, hotels, and other commercial settings.
- A machine that heats and presses fabric to remove wrinkles.
- A person whose work is ironing clothes or other fabrics.
"The hotel provides an ironing room with a large industrial ironer."
"The new steam ironer improved the laundry's turnaround time."
"She worked as an ironer in the hotel's laundry service."
The plural is formed by adding “-s.”
"Several industrial ironers are installed in the laundry room."
While a household iron is a familiar household tool, an ironer is its industrial-scale counterpart, turning a chore into a machine-driven process.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ironer come from?
The word “ironer” was formed in English by adding the suffix “-er” to “iron,” the traditional word for the heated implement used to press fabric. The base noun comes from Old English “īsern,” referring both to the metal and to an implement used for pressing clothes. In the nineteenth century, “ironer” became established for both a person who ironed and, later, specialized pressing machinery, especially as industrial laundry equipment developed.
Related word forms
How ironer is actually used
In modern usage, “ironer” most often denotes a large pressing machine, especially in commercial laundry contexts. The sense “a person who irons” is established but less frequent in everyday speech.
Easily confused with ironer
An iron is a handheld implement with a flat heated base, whereas an ironer is typically a larger machine or a person that performs the pressing.