Synonyms

laundry list

American

noun

Informal.

a lengthy, especially random list of items.

a laundry list of hoped-for presents; a laundry list of someone's crimes.

laundry list British

noun

a list of items perceived as being long

a laundry list of complaints

"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

Etymology

Origin of laundry list

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

His son’s medical expenses are never far from Harden’s mind, along with an ever-growing laundry list of concerns.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

If the reader starts to feel pangs of resentment about this laundry list of expectations — well, we’re reminded that marriage is hard for a man too.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

There was a laundry list of renovations needed to make the former sake brewery livable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Shares of Meta Platforms faced their steepest selloff of the year on Thursday, with recent social-media lawsuits targeting the company joining a laundry list of investor conditions.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

But a mere laundry list of every possible difference does not constitute an answer to Yali’s question.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023