launder
Americanverb (used with object)
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to wash (clothes, linens, etc.).
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to wash and iron (clothes).
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Informal.
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to disguise the source of (illegal or secret funds or profits), usually by transmittal through a foreign bank or a complex network of intermediaries.
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to disguise the true nature of (a transaction, operation, or the like) by routing money or goods through one or more intermediaries.
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to remove embarrassing or unpleasant characteristics or elements from in order to make more acceptable.
He'll have to launder his image if he wants to run for office.
verb (used without object)
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to wash laundry.
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to undergo washing and ironing.
The shirt didn't launder well.
noun
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(in ore dressing) a passage carrying products of intermediate grade and residue in water suspension.
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Metallurgy. a channel for conveying molten steel to a ladle.
verb
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to wash, sometimes starch, and often also iron (clothes, linen, etc)
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(intr) to be capable of being laundered without shrinking, fading, etc
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(tr) to process (something acquired illegally) to make it appear respectable, esp to process illegally acquired funds through a legitimate business or to send them to a foreign bank for subsequent transfer to a home bank
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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launderabilitynoun
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launderernoun
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relaunderverb (used with object)
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launderableadjective
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unlaunderedadjective
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well-launderedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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laundersimple
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launderssimple
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have launderedperfect
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has launderedperfect
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am launderingprogressive
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are launderingprogressive
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is launderingprogressive
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have been launderingperfect progressive
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has been launderingperfect progressive
Past
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launderedsimple
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had launderedperfect
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was launderingprogressive
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were launderingprogressive
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had been launderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of launder
1300–50; 1970–75 launder for def. 3; Middle English: launderer, syncopated variant of lavandere, lavendere washer of linen < Middle French lavandier ( e ) < Medieval Latin lavandārius (masculine), lavandāria (feminine), equivalent to Latin lavand- (gerund stem of lavāre to wash) + -ārius, -āria -ary; see -er 2)
Explanation
To launder is to wash your clothes or other things made from cloth, like sheets and towels. A college student might try to wait to launder her clothes until she goes home for Thanksgiving. When you launder, you wash a load of laundry, or dirty clothes. These days most of us use a washing machine to launder, adding detergent to the water and then tossing the wet things in the dryer after they're clean. Another meaning of launder is "hide the origins of illegal money," or "make dirty money look clean," which is usually done by making it appear that the money was earned through a legitimate business.
Vocabulary lists containing launder
This Week in Words: February 19 - 23, 2018
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"Ode to the Table" by Pablo Neruda
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 12
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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.
See Examples For:
North Korea steals crypto to generate funds for the regime, and deploys its own bankers globally to launder ill-gotten gains, U.S. officials say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Other loopholes exist to launder gold, such as "ghost mines," detailed in a Greenpeace investigation published Friday.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
And as prominent news outlets continue to normalize and launder that simple fact, comedy that’s both humane and hilarious is a way through, if not a way out.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2025
So it is hoping for a regulatory bill that has a light touch—don’t launder money; make sure your customers can cash out when they wish—but most importantly lends confidence and legitimacy.
From Slate ● May 21, 2025
I launder the napkins and tablecloths entirely at my own discretion.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also designated three leaders and supporters of an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, as well as a business that it says moves and launders funds for the organization.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
“Today, Treasury is sanctioning Tornado Cash, a virtual currency mixer that launders the proceeds of cybercrimes, including those committed against victims in the United States,” Nelson said.
From The Verge ● Aug. 8, 2022
Bethany launders them in-house and places them in a tub in the entryway, for workers to don each day after taking their temperature and passing a screening.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 3, 2020
He launders impropriety with a functionary’s demeanor and a spin doctor’s acumen.
From Slate ● May 2, 2019
It is always supple, never creases, launders well, and comes in the most beautiful soft shades as well as in black and dark colors.
From Textiles and Clothing by Watson, Kate Heintz
He also represented Alex Saab, who American prosecutors said laundered money for Venezuela’s former strongman, Nicolás Maduro, and oversaw the importation of often-rotten food to a poverty-stricken country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Most of the illegally-mined gold is smuggled out to the United Arab Emirates, from where it is laundered into the global supply chain in Europe, the United States, Asia and South Africa.
From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025
In probable cause statements filed in federal court, investigators wrote that the defendants laundered the money through multiple bank accounts and ultimately used the cash for personal expenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2025
New York-based Michelle Lipkin, whose father Frank Ciulla was killed on the flight, speaks fondly about "the women who laundered the clothes", including Ella Ramsden and Moira Shearer.
From BBC ● May 9, 2025
He stepped from the bath and dried off, pulled on a pair of laundered linen breeches, and was too tired even to tie the drawstring.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Kumi was flown to the US on Thursday and faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Binance pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws and Iran sanctions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Federal prosecutors convicted Rinsch in December of wire fraud, money laundering and other counts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
MiCA imposes a common framework in the EU in terms of investor protections and anti-money laundering measures regarding the trading of crypto assets in the bloc.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
“I do laundering and mending. I’m even good with a hammer and nail.”
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
