factory

[fak-tuh-ree, -tree]

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.

factory

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• factory-like adjective
• factorylike adjective
• subfactory noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of factory¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of factory¹

C16: from Late Latin factorium ; see _factor

Example Sentences

No survivors are expected to be found after a major explosion at a Tennessee munitions factory on Friday that has left 18 people unaccounted for.

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Eighteen people are presumed dead after a huge blast at an explosives factory in Tennessee, officials said Saturday.

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That's because Asahi, the maker of Japan's best-selling beer, was forced to halt production at most of its 30 factories in the country at the end of last month after being hit by a cyber-attack.

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Aerial footage broadcast by US media showed smoldering debris at the factory in Hickman County, Tennessee, with charred and mangled vehicles strewn across the facility.

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Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said four or five people were taken to a nearby hospital after the enormous explosion that levelled a factory, and that several are deceased.

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Related Words

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