launder

American  

[lawn-der, lahn-] / ˈlɔn dər, ˈlɑn- /

verb (used with object)

• launders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• laundered,
  past participle,  past
• laundering
  present participle

1. to wash (clothes, linens, etc.).

2. to wash and iron (clothes).

3. Informal.

   1. to disguise the source of (illegal or secret funds or profits), usually by transmittal through a foreign bank or a complex network of intermediaries.

   2. to disguise the true nature of (a transaction, operation, or the like) by routing money or goods through one or more intermediaries.

4. to remove embarrassing or unpleasant characteristics or elements from in order to make more acceptable.

   He'll have to launder his image if he wants to run for office.

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verb (used without object)

• launders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• laundered,
  past participle,  past
• laundering
  present participle

1. to wash laundry.

2. to undergo washing and ironing.

   The shirt didn't launder well.

noun

1. (in ore dressing) a passage carrying products of intermediate grade and residue in water suspension.

2. Metallurgy. a channel for conveying molten steel to a ladle.

launder British  

/ ˈlɔːndə /

verb

1. to wash, sometimes starch, and often also iron (clothes, linen, etc)

2. (intr) to be capable of being laundered without shrinking, fading, etc

3. (tr) to process (something acquired illegally) to make it appear respectable, esp to process illegally acquired funds through a legitimate business or to send them to a foreign bank for subsequent transfer to a home bank

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noun

1. a water trough, esp one used for washing ore in mining

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• launderability
  noun
• launderer
  noun
• relaunder
  verb (used with object)
• launderable
  adjective
• unlaundered
  adjective
• well-laundered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• laundering
  present
• laundered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• launder
  simple
• launders
  simple
• have laundered
  perfect
• has laundered
  perfect
• am laundering
  progressive
• are laundering
  progressive
• is laundering
  progressive
• have been laundering
  perfect progressive
• has been laundering
  perfect progressive

Past

• laundered
  simple
• had laundered
  perfect
• was laundering
  progressive
• were laundering
  progressive
• had been laundering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will launder
  simple
• will have laundered
  perfect
• will be laundering
  progressive
• will have been laundering
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of launder

1300–50; 1970–75 launder for def. 3; Middle English: launderer, syncopated variant of lavandere, lavendere washer of linen < Middle French lavandier ( e ) < Medieval Latin lavandārius (masculine), lavandāria (feminine), equivalent to Latin lavand- (gerund stem of lavāre to wash) + -ārius, -āria -ary; see -er ²)

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Explanation

To launder is to wash your clothes or other things made from cloth, like sheets and towels. A college student might try to wait to launder her clothes until she goes home for Thanksgiving. When you launder, you wash a load of laundry, or dirty clothes. These days most of us use a washing machine to launder, adding detergent to the water and then tossing the wet things in the dryer after they're clean. Another meaning of launder is "hide the origins of illegal money," or "make dirty money look clean," which is usually done by making it appear that the money was earned through a legitimate business.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

launder launders laundered laundering

Meanwhile, a "fraud blitz" involving 500 new officers will be part of a crackdown on gangs who are accused of using Post Offices and High Street shops to "launder illicit billions", the Metro reports.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Shell companies are dangerous because they are used both by criminal organizations to evade sanctions and launder money and by the rich to avoid taxes.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Other loopholes exist to launder gold, such as "ghost mines," detailed in a Greenpeace investigation published Friday.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

Sanctions also targeted entities the Treasury Department says help launder the proceeds of Iranian oil through a shadow banking network.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

“You’re going to need to launder them blankets,” she says, pointing to my arm.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also designated three leaders and supporters of an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, as well as a business that it says moves and launders funds for the organization.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024

“Today, Treasury is sanctioning Tornado Cash, a virtual currency mixer that launders the proceeds of cybercrimes, including those committed against victims in the United States,” Nelson said.

From The Verge ● Aug. 8, 2022

But the game launders this good idea into a bad one by making many enemies invulnerable unless your character has reached a certain level.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2020

Bethany launders them in-house and places them in a tub in the entryway, for workers to don each day after taking their temperature and passing a screening.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 3, 2020

Nor would there be any difficulty in making reservoirs upon the ridge-tops, with launders, or gutters, to collect the rain.

From To The Gold Coast for Gold, Vol. II A Personal Narrative by Sir Richard Francis Burton

One victim in Missouri reportedly lost more than $16 million, while millions of dollars in suspected scam proceeds were allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Shehu laundered money through property—including the peninsula in Zvernec—that was stolen using techniques such as forged Ottoman-era land records, prosecutors said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Danicley de Aguiar, coordinator of Greenpeace Brazil's Indigenous Peoples' campaign told AFP that gold taken from protected areas was likely laundered through such schemes.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

The whole letter is Bezos’ grievance talking, laundered through one of his fixers.

From Slate ● Feb. 5, 2026

Her brothers awaited her like tall gods in the court, circling to lead the mules away and carry the laundered things inside.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

“When a bank of this size fails to meet its anti-money laundering and sanctions obligations, the consequences extend far beyond its own walls, exposing the entire U.S. financial system to significant illicit finance risks.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Those failures included not flagging transactions that possibly involved Chinese money laundering networks or trade-based laundering "with a substantial nexus to the southwest border", according to the Treasury.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The US Treasury Department said Tuesday that it is imposing penalties of more than $1.2 billion on Bank of America, citing "violations of anti-money laundering and sanctions laws."

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

The bureau’s investigation focuses on potential money laundering and surrogacy fraud crimes, according to the two law enforcement sources, who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

A federal grand jury in Washington began what turned out to be a smoke-screen investigation accusing Fischer of money laundering after his match with Spassky in 1992.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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