Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • launderette
    launderette
    noun
    a self-service laundry having coin-operated washers, driers, etc.
  • Launderette
    Launderette
    noun
    a commercial establishment where clothes can be washed and dried, using coin-operated machines

launderette

American  
[lawn-duh-ret, lahn-, lawn-duh-ret, lahn-] / ˌlɔn dəˈrɛt, ˌlɑn-, ˈlɔn dəˌrɛt, ˈlɑn- /
Also laundrette

noun

  • launderettes
    plural
  1. a self-service laundry having coin-operated washers, driers, etc.


Launderette British  
/ lɔːnˈdrɛt, ˌlɔːndəˈrɛt /

noun

  1. Also called (US, Canadian, and NZ): Laundromat. a commercial establishment where clothes can be washed and dried, using coin-operated machines

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of launderette

First recorded in 1945–50; formerly a trademark


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:

The thing about London is that you can have a launderette and then look above it and it’s got this beautiful Regency architecture.

From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2021

“This is disturbing,” said Wade Chen, who was boarding up a launderette, looking toward the large number of people continuing to carry off what was left in the large Target store.

From The Guardian ● May 29, 2020

After coming out of prison, she discovered the launderette where she had worked for all those years was to become a dry cleaner's, and she was out of a job.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2020

There's a Centre of Britain launderette, a Centre of Britain gallery and a centuries old sandstone-coloured Centre of Britain Hotel.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2014

We were soaked and filthy, desperately needed a launderette, clean, dry clothes, a square meal, and a Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

The Austin American-Statesman reports that Austin-based restaurants Launderette and Fresa's earlier this week announced plans to ask patrons to show they had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before entering.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2021

After settling in Austin, he worked at acclaimed restaurants like La Condesa, Uchiko and Launderette before opening Suerte with the restaurant’s owner, Sam Hellman-Mass, 33.

From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2018

On film, he earned a Bafta nomination for playing Thatcherite Pakistani businessman in 1985's My Beautiful Launderette, and was nominated for the Genie awards - the Canadian Oscars - for 1992 Canadian film Masala.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2015

Daniel Day-Lewis’s breakthrough role was in My Beautiful Launderette; Chiwetel Ejiofor’s career was given a major boost by Dirty Pretty Things.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 21, 2015

The promise of quick profits has already been fulfilled for some Launderette proprietors.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Our aim is to keep charges significantly below nearby high street launderettes, and that's why pricing will vary across the country."

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

At the time, P&O said a "wide range of approved protocols" had been put in place, including closing on-board launderettes and preventing passengers from serving themselves at the buffet.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2024

The Federation of Small Businesses has warned of the impact on everything from fish-and-chip shops and launderettes.

From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2022

Soldiers in uniform were patrolling in the rain nearby, as if this were somehow Afghanistan, walking past urban launderettes and bakeries.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 20, 2015

Since then, Akin has added eight launderettes of his own and sold 56 Duds 'N Suds franchises in 27 states.

From Time Magazine Archive

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training