laboratory

American  

[lab-ruh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, lab-er-uh-, luh-bor-uh-tuh-ree, -uh-tree] / ˈlæb rəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈlæb ər ə-, ləˈbɒr ə tə ri, -ə tri /

noun

laboratories plural

1. a building, part of a building, or other place equipped to conduct scientific experiments, tests, investigations, etc., or to manufacture chemicals, medicines, or the like.

2. any place, situation, set of conditions, or the like, conducive to experimentation, investigation, observation, etc.; anything suggestive of a scientific laboratory.

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adjective

1. serving a function in a laboratory.

2. relating to techniques of work in a laboratory.

   laboratory methods; laboratory research.

laboratory British  

/ -trɪ, ləˈbɒrətərɪ, ˈlæbrəˌtɔːrɪ /

noun

1. 1. a building or room equipped for conducting scientific research or for teaching practical science

   2. ( as modifier )

      laboratory equipment

2. a place where chemicals or medicines are manufactured

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• laboratorian
  noun
• interlaboratory
  adjective
• laboratorially
  adverb
• laboratorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• laboratories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of laboratory

1595–1605; < Medieval Latin labōrātōrium workshop, equivalent to Latin labōrā ( re ) to labor + -tōrium -tory ²

Explanation

A laboratory is a place where experiments happen, usually scientific experiments involving chemicals and lab coats, but there are creative and athletic laboratories too, where people experiment with writing and footballs. When you think of a laboratory, you might see men and women wearing face masks pouring colorful liquids into test tubes, and you’d be correct. Any place that is a testing ground for new ideas is a laboratory, like a class full of people thinking up new ways to make paper airplanes. The Latin verb laborare means “to labor,” so remember that a laboratory is a place of hard work: you can’t spell laboratory without labor in it.

Example Sentences

Oklo is building its own fuel fabrication site on the grounds of Idaho National Laboratory.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Professor Stefan A. Maier, Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy and Nanophotonics Laboratory at Monash University, said the development helps bridge the divide between fundamental scientific discoveries and practical technologies.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

Casias had been an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where the first atomic bomb was developed and where nuclear weapon work continues, her family told local news outlets after her disappearance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

Melissa Casias, an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, was reported missing last June.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

The Brookhaven National Laboratory was conceived as a powerful regional counterweight to Berkeley.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• lab
• workshop