launder

[ lawn-der, lahn- ]

/ ˈlɔn dər, ˈlɑn- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR launder ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to wash (clothes, linens, etc.).

to wash and iron (clothes).

Informal.

to disguise the source of (illegal or secret funds or profits), usually by transmittal through a foreign bank or a complex network of intermediaries.
to disguise the true nature of (a transaction, operation, or the like) by routing money or goods through one or more intermediaries.

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)

to wash laundry.

to undergo washing and ironing: The shirt didn't launder well.

noun

(in ore dressing) a passage carrying products of intermediate grade and residue in water suspension.

Metallurgy. a channel for conveying molten steel to a ladle.

RELATED WORDS

cleanse, clean, rinse

Nearby words

launch pad, launch shoe, launch vehicle, launch window, launcher, launder, launderette, laundress, laundrette, laundromat, laundry

Origin of launder

1300–50; 1970–75 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 -er²)

Related forms

laun·der·a·ble, adjectivelaun·der·a·bil·i·ty, nounlaun·der·er, nounre·laun·der, verb (used with object)

un·laun·dered, adjectivewell-laun·dered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for launder

He owns at least one tire repair shop, a cash-heavy business that makes it easy to invent receipts and launder money.
The Devil’s Drug: The True Story of Meth in New Mexico|Nick Romeo|August 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Such actions are, in a sense, allowing Switzerland to launder its reputation.
The End of Swiss Discretion|Eric Pape|October 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Launder, that washes the children of the privy chamber, 75, 112.
The Privy Purse Expenses of King Henry VIII from November MDXXIX, to December MDXXXII|Nicholas Harris Nicolas
Laundress is formed by adding -ess to launder or laundre, the contracted form of lavender as here used.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 (of 7)|Geoffrey Chaucer

Launder, in his Voyage to India, p. 81, saw one erected in a tank of water.
The Round Towers of Ireland|Henry O'Brien
Also he had towels for his own personal use and those he managed to launder, somehow.
The Cinder Pond|Carroll Watson Rankin
The name Lander or Launder is unconnected with these (see p.186).
The Romance of Names|Ernest Weekley

British Dictionary definitions for launder

launder

/ (ˈlɔːndə) /

verb

to wash, sometimes starch, and often also iron (clothes, linen, etc)

(intr) to be capable of being laundered without shrinking, fading, etc

(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

a water trough, esp one used for washing ore in mining

Derived Formslaunderer, noun

Word Origin for launder

C14 (n, meaning: a person who washes linen): changed from lavender washerwoman, from Old French lavandiere, ultimately from Latin lavāre to wash

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

launder

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of launder

Examples from the Web for launder

British Dictionary definitions for launder

launder

verb

noun

Word Origin for launder