factory

American  

[fak-tuh-ree, -tree] / ˈfæk tə ri, -tri /

noun

plural

factories

1. a building or group of buildings with facilities for the manufacture of goods.

2. any place producing a uniform product, without concern for individuality.

   They call it a law school, but it's just a degree factory.

3. (formerly) an establishment for factors and merchants carrying on business in a foreign country.

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factory British  

/ ˈfæktərɪ /

noun

1. 1. a building or group of buildings containing a plant assembly for the manufacture of goods

   2. ( as modifier )

      a factory worker

2. rare a trading station maintained by factors in a foreign country

3. (formerly) a main trading station for the exchange and transshipment of furs

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Other Word Forms

• factory-like adjective
• factorylike adjective
• subfactory noun

Etymology

Origin of factory

From the Medieval Latin word factōria, dating back to 1550–60. See factor, -y ³

Example Sentences

Gail, 60, said the charity received help from food production factories and supermarkets.

From BBC

Cursor has expanded from a focus on coding to more broadly “helping developers build the factory that creates their software,” Michael Truell, the startup’s young, red-haired leader, recently wrote on X.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the strike on South Pars exposed Tehran’s biggest vulnerability: its dependency on natural gas to keep powering its homes, factories and even its water pumps.

From The Wall Street Journal

With a long history in defense, it has the factories, engineers and aerospace expertise to turn venture funding and military demand into weapons, satellites and other advanced systems.

From Los Angeles Times

The Middle East is an important link in the pharma supply chain, serving as a hub for drugs that are transported from factories in Asia to markets in Europe.

From Barron's

Related Words

• branch
• cooperative
• firm
• industry
• laboratory
• mill
• shop
• workshop