laundromat

American  

[lawn-druh-mat, lahn-] / ˈlɔn drəˌmæt, ˈlɑn- /

noun

1. a self-service laundry having coin-operated washers, driers, etc.; launderette.

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Laundromat British  

/ ˈlɔːndrəˌmæt /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): Launderette.   laundrette.  a commercial establishment where clothes can be washed and dried, using coin-operated machines

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Etymology

Origin of laundromat

First recorded in 1940–45; formerly a trademark, originally a brand of washer

Example Sentences

When Nashville-area chef Julia Sullivan was looking to open her second restaurant, she chose an abandoned laundromat from 1950 on the outskirts of Sewanee in rural Tennessee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Rakhmetzhanov carries his laptop at all times, he said, and has resolved software bugs while out walking, during dinners, at the laundromat and on the toilet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 12, 2025

Scared for her four children, Medina went inside the house and called her husband, Jorge Saldana, 30, who was at a nearby laundromat washing clothes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2025

The couple married in 1966, just two short years after meeting at a laundromat in Nashville when Parton was 18 and Dean was 21.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2025

What would I say to Ms. Raz or Mr. Fazio in the laundromat?

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi