laundry

[ lawn-dree, lahn- ]

/ ˈlɔn dri, ˈlɑn- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR laundry ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural laun·dries.

articles of clothing, linens, etc., that have been or are to be washed.

a business establishment where clothes, linens, etc., are laundered.

a room or area, as in a home or apartment building, reserved for doing the family wash.

Nearby words

launder, launderette, laundress, laundrette, laundromat, laundry, laundry list, laundryman, laundrywoman, laura, lauraceous

Origin of laundry

1350–1400; Middle English lavandrie < Middle French lavanderie. See launder, -y³

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

Examples from the Web for laundry

These are two in a laundry list of troubling connections between the two companies.
The Pipeline From Hell: There’s No Good Reason to Build Keystone XL|Jack Holmes|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A new report says laundry detergent pods are sending 20,000 kids to the hospital each year.
Kids Eat the Darndest Things: Laundry Pods, Teething Necklaces, and More Of The Weirdest Stuff Sending Kids to the E.R.|Russell Saunders|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is no running water there, nor gyms, nor fast food, nor laundry service.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On dry land there were dozens of trekking outlets, each offering bike rides, hikes, and laundry service.
A Little Too Off the Beaten Path in Burma|Katya Cengel|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Christmas worked in laundry for a defense contractor on a military base in Iraq.
Inside the Cult of CrossFit|William O’Connor|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The elder girls are employed in housework or in the laundry.
The Quiver 3/1900|Anonymous
As she spoke Miss Mackenzie rose and followed the matron and Kate into a sort of kitchen or laundry.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XXVI., December, 1880.|Various
The table-cloths should be mended first before they are sent to the laundry.
Guide to Hotel Housekeeping|Mary E. Palmer
His master put with it a check for the same amount, and sent him into the laundry to tell Ann of her good fortune.
Diddie, Dumps & Tot|Louise-Clarke Pyrnelle
Then the wet clothing was sent to the laundry to be dried and pressed.
The Putnam Hall Champions|Arthur M. Winfield

British Dictionary definitions for laundry

laundry

/ (ˈlɔːndrɪ) /

noun plural -dries

a place where clothes and linen are washed and ironed

the clothes or linen washed and ironed

the act of laundering

Word Origin for laundry

C16: changed from C14 lavendry; see launder

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

Idioms and Phrases with laundry

laundry

see wash one's dirty linen (laundry).