What does balai in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word balai in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use balai in French.

The word balai in French means broom, control stick, years old, be stuck-up, wiper blade, broomstick, witch's broomstick, carpet sweeper, scrubbing brush, thick as two short planks, sweep, clean sweep, do a sweep-up, do a tidy-up, make a clean sweep, Clear off! Buzz off!, broomstick, joystick, control stick, sweep, sweeper car. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word balai

broom

nom masculin (outil manuel de nettoyage)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
En faisant le ménage ce matin, j'ai cassé mon balai et j'utilise maintenant l'aspirateur.
ⓘCette phrase n'est pas une traduction de la phrase originale. The witch flies thanks to her magic broomstick.

control stick

nom masculin (Aviation : manche de direction)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le pilote tirait désespérément sur le manche à balai.
The pilot pulled frantically at the handle of the control stick.

years old

nom masculin (populaire (âge : an)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ma voisine doit bien avoir 50 balais.
My neighbour must be 50 years old.

be stuck-up

locution verbale (vulgaire (être très guindé) (informal)

Ce type a un balai dans le cul : impossible de lui arracher le moindre sourire !

wiper blade

nom masculin (raclette de pare-brise)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

broomstick, witch's broomstick

nom masculin (balai volant de sorcière)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les sorcières sont censées voler sur un balai magique.

carpet sweeper

nom masculin (balai à poussière à rouleau)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

scrubbing brush

nom masculin (balai avec une brosse)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'ai trouvé la serpillière mais pas le balai-brosse.

thick as two short planks

locution adjectivale (familier, péjoratif (très stupide) (UK, slang)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

sweep

nom masculin (ménage)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

clean sweep

nom masculin (figuré (réforme, remise en ordre) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

do a sweep-up, do a tidy-up

locution verbale (familier (balayer, ôter la poussière du sol)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
La coiffeuse donne un coup de balai pour enlever les cheveux coupés.

make a clean sweep

locution verbale (familier, figuré (remettre de l'ordre dans [qch]) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Le nouveau directeur veut donner un coup de balai dans notre service.

Clear off! Buzz off!

interjection (allez-vous-en) (colloquial)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")
Du balai ! Je ne veux plus vous voir !

broomstick

nom masculin (hampe)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'ai récupéré le ballon sur l'armoire grâce à un manche à balai.

joystick, control stick

nom masculin (figuré, familier (guidon, commande) (aviation, computing)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le pilote tira sur le manche à balai pour redresser l'avion.

sweep

locution verbale (balayer)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Passe le balai dans le garage, s'il te plaît.

sweeper car

nom féminin (dernière voiture d'un cortège)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La voiture-balai est celle qui ferme le peloton.

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of balai in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.