launder

American  

[lawn-der, lahn-] / ˈlɔn dər, ˈlɑn- /

verb (used with object)

• launders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• laundered,
  past participle,  past
• laundering
  present participle

1. to wash (clothes, linens, etc.).

2. to wash and iron (clothes).

3. Informal.

   1. to disguise the source of (illegal or secret funds or profits), usually by transmittal through a foreign bank or a complex network of intermediaries.

   2. to disguise the true nature of (a transaction, operation, or the like) by routing money or goods through one or more intermediaries.

4. 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.

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verb (used without object)

• launders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• laundered,
  past participle,  past
• laundering
  present participle

1. to wash laundry.

2. to undergo washing and ironing.

   The shirt didn't launder well.

noun

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

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

launder British  

/ ˈlɔːndə /

verb

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

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

3. (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

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noun

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• launderability
  noun
• launderer
  noun
• relaunder
  verb (used with object)
• launderable
  adjective
• unlaundered
  adjective
• well-laundered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• laundering
  present
• laundered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• launder
  simple
• launders
  simple
• have laundered
  perfect
• has laundered
  perfect
• am laundering
  progressive
• are laundering
  progressive
• is laundering
  progressive
• have been laundering
  perfect progressive
• has been laundering
  perfect progressive

Past

• laundered
  simple
• had laundered
  perfect
• was laundering
  progressive
• were laundering
  progressive
• had been laundering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will launder
  simple
• will have laundered
  perfect
• will be laundering
  progressive
• will have been laundering
  perfect progressive

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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)

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

launder launders laundered laundering

It said it was urging private sector entities "to block transactions with or derived from addresses TraderTraitor actors are using to launder these stolen assets."

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Meanwhile, a "fraud blitz" involving 500 new officers will be part of a crackdown on gangs who are accused of using Post Offices and High Street shops to "launder illicit billions", the Metro reports.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Shell companies are dangerous because they are used both by criminal organizations to evade sanctions and launder money and by the rich to avoid taxes.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

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

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

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

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 Kate Heintz Watson

"I think this is a shocking story of somebody who deliberately acted fraudulently and laundered money and he should be punished," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Chacin said the expanded police presence could help stem violence, but that tackling organized crime required, above all, following the money -- investigating how the proceeds are laundered and who is benefitting most.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

When you’ve done that, you can start to feel the excitement of owning a freshly laundered $100 bill.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

The whole letter is Bezos’ grievance talking, laundered through one of his fixers.

From Slate ● Feb. 5, 2026

When I asked him where it was, he said his shirt was to be laundered by the notorious gangster inmate Al Capone.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

Nuño, 53, has been charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, according to the Department of Justice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

The laundering patterns, with thousands of transactions happening in a short period, suggest the attackers may be using automation to obscure the funds’ origins, according to Chainalysis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

Three countries are on the FATF's black list of countries that are high risk for money laundering and terrorism financing: Iran, Myanmar and North Korea.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Betancourt surfaced as a suspect in the U.S. case and is still under investigation for suspected money laundering by authorities in Spain, according to former U.S. and European officials and press reports.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 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

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