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:
While Epstein was best known for his connections to businessmen and politicians, he cultivated a circle of top academics that helped launder his reputation until his arrest in 2019.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
The move has been accompanied by some rollbacks of post-coup curbs and prisoner amnesties, which analysts have likewise dismissed as lip-service measures to launder the leadership's reputation.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 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
“And launder, too, my wife. But for cooking and washing you will have help.”
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
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
But the game launders this good idea into a bad one by making many enemies invulnerable unless your character has reached a certain level.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2020
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
Notice that the linen fabric has a natural gloss, a cool, smooth feel, and launders much better than cotton.
From Textiles For Commercial, Industrial, and Domestic Arts Schools; Also Adapted to Those Engaged in Wholesale and Retail Dry Goods, Wool, Cotton, and Dressmaker's Trades by Dooley, William H. (William Henry)
The Treasury also designated the two exchanges “terror assets” and said Zanjani had laundered money and provided funding for Revolutionary Guard projects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
The whole letter is Bezos’ grievance talking, laundered through one of his fixers.
From Slate ● Feb. 5, 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
It follows a December 2024 court ruling which found the brothers had not paid tax on £21m of revenue from their online business and had laundered money through bank accounts based in Devon.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025
She pulled out a set of the old robes Kreacher had laundered for them, and Harry retired to take the potion and change.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Revolut's rapid growth has meanwhile drawn criticism in recent years regarding its ability to comply with financial regulations, particularly those aimed at combating fraud and money laundering.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
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
The SAR programme alerts law enforcement to potential instances of money laundering and flagged 866,616 reports in 2024/25.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 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
The CDO was, in effect, a credit laundering service for the residents of Lower Middle Class America.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
