A remover is someone or something that takes away or gets rid of something else. A stain remover is a cleaning product designed to lift tough marks out of fabric. A snow remover is a person who clears driveways and sidewalks after a blizzard. When you use nail polish remover, you're using a chemical that dissolves and wipes away the polish from your nails.

A furniture remover helps families move their belongings to a new house. A makeup remover helps someone clean their face at the end of the day. Paint remover strips old paint off walls or furniture so you can start fresh.

Sometimes people use remover in unexpected ways. In history, King Henry VIII of England appointed Thomas Cromwell as the “remover of grievances,” meaning someone who was supposed to fix people's complaints. When something is described as a remover, you can usually figure out what it removes by what comes before it: rust remover takes away rust, and a tree remover cuts down and hauls away unwanted trees.