factory
Americannoun
plural
factories-
a building or group of buildings with facilities for the manufacture of goods.
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any place producing a uniform product, without concern for individuality.
They call it a law school, but it's just a degree factory.
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(formerly) an establishment for factors and merchants carrying on business in a foreign country.
noun
-
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a building or group of buildings containing a plant assembly for the manufacture of goods
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( as modifier )
a factory worker
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rare a trading station maintained by factors in a foreign country
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(formerly) a main trading station for the exchange and transshipment of furs
Other Word Forms
- factory-like adjective
- factorylike adjective
- subfactory noun
Etymology
Origin of factory
From the Medieval Latin word factōria, dating back to 1550–60. See factor, -y 3
Explanation
A factory is a big building in which products are made, like Willie Wonka's fictional Chocolate Factory, which was famous for producing (among other sweets and treats) the one-of-a-kind Everlasting Gobstopper. Early relatives of the word factory were in use as far back as the 1500s, long before the Industrial Revolution made the modern idea of a factory a reality. Of course, a big building with many different types of machinery inside it isn't the only definition of a factory. A successful pop group that scores several number one songs in a row could be called "a hit factory."
Vocabulary lists containing factory
Make Do: Fac
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Russia - Introductory
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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.
Idle factory floors and a growing pool of laid-off skilled workers are being redirected into the only sector still expanding at scale.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
To do that, a magnet factory is in the early stages of construction.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
He says he wants there to be a solution the problem of dumped clothing, "and I think this factory is going to help that".
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
My mom had worked in a grocery store and factory for decades, and my dad had worked in coal until he became disabled.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
Dr. Molovo lived in a luxurious apartment that was built right into the robot factory.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
