laundry list

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a lengthy, especially random list of items.

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

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laundry list British  

noun

1. a list of items perceived as being long

   a laundry list of complaints

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Etymology

Origin of laundry list

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

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

Speeches that deviate from the ubiquitous laundry list of thank yous always get more attention, whether they’re political or not, for the simple reason that they’re so dang unusual.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

“When you think about the laundry list of things we have to worry about,” said Hackett at Nationwide, “all these things would drive a flight to safety” in the past.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 28, 2026

For the purposes of this book, the key question about the laundry list is whether such factors differed systematically from continent to continent and thereby led to continental differences in technological development.

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