laundry
Americannoun
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laundries
plural
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articles of clothing, linens, etc., that have been or are to be washed.
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a business establishment where clothes, linens, etc., are laundered.
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a room or area, as in a home or apartment building, reserved for doing the family wash.
noun
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a place where clothes and linen are washed and ironed
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the clothes or linen washed and ironed
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the act of laundering
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of laundry
1350–1400; Middle English lavandrie < Middle French lavanderie. See launder, -y 3
Explanation
Laundry refers to the clothes and bedding that you can wash in your washing machine or at the laundromat. Nothing smells quite as good as clean laundry. When you do your laundry, you wash your dirty clothes, as well as any towels, sheets, and other linens that could use a wash too. A laundry room is the place in an apartment building, business, or dormitory where there are washers and dryers. Sometimes people send their laundry out to a commercial laundry, where they pay someone else to wash their things. Laundry has a Latin root, lavare, "to wash."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But the problems have continued into the weekend and one woman, who supports a prisoner, told BBC Scotland News that laundry was mounting up.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
"It's unbearable. We can't open the windows, even the oranges in the garden and the laundry hanging out to dry are covered in black dust."
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
There’s also an attached walk-in pantry, with a powder room, laundry facilities, an office area, a screened porch, and a sizable garage nearby.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
She handled housekeeping, concierge services and laundry management for Catalina Island Company, a resort operator, according to her son.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
“So, you still live above the family shop! And you work here in the laundry? Washing and ironing with all the others?”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
An apology is also expected in Northern Ireland but not until after a public inquiry has been carried out, following a recommendation from a 2021 report on mother and baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Upon arrival he launched a tuna fish cannery, sold canned produce, opened a chain of laundries in the Coalinga area, and even spent some time wildcatting for oil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2024
The film explores Ireland’s Magdalene laundries, Catholic-run institutions from the 18th to the late 20th century intended to reform those deemed “fallen women.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
For example, housing zones for singles need multiple public spaces to enable interactions, from shared laundries to shared meeting spaces.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
All kinds of businesses from hotels to laundries to humor magazines were using the horse’s likeness in their ads.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
