Meaning & use
a cleanser
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Meanings
nouncountable
A product or substance used to remove dirt, oil, or makeup from the skin or from a surface.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a cleanser, two cleansers, or the cleanser you use every night.
Patterns
- a gentle cleanser
- use a cleanser on something
- a cleanser for sensitive skin
She washes her face with a mild cleanser every morning.
This cleanser takes off makeup without drying out your skin.
The nurse poured a cleanser onto a cloth and wiped the table.
nouncountable
A substance used to clean something such as a floor, an oven, or a machine.
Grammar: Countable, but in general talk people often say cleaning products instead of cleansers.
Patterns
- a household cleanser
- an industrial cleanser
- spray a cleanser on something
He sprayed a cleanser on the greasy stove and left it for five minutes.
The factory uses a strong cleanser to wash the metal parts.
Keep cleansers out of reach of small children.
Word forms
| plural | cleansers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a gentle cleanser
- Her doctor told her to switch to a gentle cleanser.
- a facial cleanser
- I bought a facial cleanser for oily skin.
- use a cleanser
- Use a cleanser twice a day if your skin is oily.
- a cleanser for sensitive skin
- This is a cleanser for sensitive skin, so it has no perfume.
- rinse off a cleanser
- Rinse off the cleanser with warm water.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wash
- Wash is the everyday word for the liquid or soap you use on your body; cleanser sounds more like a product you buy for skin care.
- detergent
- Detergent is for clothes, dishes, or surfaces, not for your face, so it is too strong for a skin-care cleanser.
- soap
- Soap is a simple bar or liquid made from fat and alkali; a cleanser is a broader word that includes soaps and other cleaning products.
Word family
Commonly confused: a cleanser or cleaner? a cleanser or clearer?
a cleanser vs cleaner
A cleaner is a person who cleans buildings, or a general cleaning substance; a cleanser is the product itself, often one for skin.
a cleanser vs clearer
Clearer means easier to understand or see through; it sounds similar but has nothing to do with cleaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses "cleanser" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A cleanser is a cleaning product, so it can remove makeup. Options An and B describe a person, which should be "cleaner." Option D uses a comparative adjective, which should be "clearer."
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a cleanser”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.