laboratory

American  

[lab-ruh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, lab-er-uh-, luh-bor-uh-tuh-ree, -uh-tree] / ˈlæb rəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈlæb ər ə-, ləˈbɒr ə tə ri, -ə tri /

noun

plural

laboratories

1. a building, part of a building, or other place equipped to conduct scientific experiments, tests, investigations, etc., or to manufacture chemicals, medicines, or the like.

2. any place, situation, set of conditions, or the like, conducive to experimentation, investigation, observation, etc.; anything suggestive of a scientific laboratory.

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adjective

1. serving a function in a laboratory.

2. relating to techniques of work in a laboratory.

   laboratory methods; laboratory research.

laboratory British  

/ -trɪ, ləˈbɒrətərɪ, ˈlæbrəˌtɔːrɪ /

noun

1. 1. a building or room equipped for conducting scientific research or for teaching practical science

   2. ( as modifier )

      laboratory equipment

2. a place where chemicals or medicines are manufactured

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Other Word Forms

• interlaboratory adjective
• laboratorial adjective
• laboratorially adverb
• laboratorian noun

Etymology

Origin of laboratory

1595–1605; < Medieval Latin labōrātōrium workshop, equivalent to Latin labōrā ( re ) to labor + -tōrium -tory ²

Explanation

A laboratory is a place where experiments happen, usually scientific experiments involving chemicals and lab coats, but there are creative and athletic laboratories too, where people experiment with writing and footballs. When you think of a laboratory, you might see men and women wearing face masks pouring colorful liquids into test tubes, and you’d be correct. Any place that is a testing ground for new ideas is a laboratory, like a class full of people thinking up new ways to make paper airplanes. The Latin verb laborare means “to labor,” so remember that a laboratory is a place of hard work: you can’t spell laboratory without labor in it.

Example Sentences

His laboratory conducts fundamental research on exotic particle-matter interactions while developing new positron-based experimental techniques for applied physics.

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

By combining a custom neural network with laboratory data from a dusty plasma, the team showed that artificial intelligence can do more than analyze data or make predictions.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

Under that program, American nuclear specialists and laboratory equipment, such as X-ray machines, scales and glove boxes for handling dangerous material, can be sent abroad to extract plutonium or highly enriched uranium.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

A toxic additive was also found in similar jars seized by police after laboratory tests in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the police statement said.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

He obviously did not want to tell what happened, since in his own story of the laboratory, and the suit, and his trip to Chicago he never mentioned Edward at all.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

Related Words

• lab
• workshop