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

They also allege that Pulido worked with Alex Saab to launder $350m from a separate bribery scheme involving Venezuela's currency exchange system using bank accounts in Florida.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 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

The move has been accompanied by some rollbacks of post-coup curbs and prisoner amnesties, which analysts have likewise dismissed as lip-service measures to launder the leadership's reputation.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

He upset the status quo, attacked the PGA Tour and the golf establishment, and found himself defending LIV from allegations that it was merely an instrument for Saudi Arabia to launder its global image.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025

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

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

He launders impropriety with a functionary’s demeanor and a spin doctor’s acumen.

From Slate ● May 2, 2019

The sand, having now passed over the plates, is carried by launders on to the concentrators, or frue vanners.

From The Romance of Industry and Invention by Robert Cochrane

One victim in Missouri reportedly lost more than $16 million, while millions of dollars in suspected scam proceeds were allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Shehu laundered money through property—including the peninsula in Zvernec—that was stolen using techniques such as forged Ottoman-era land records, prosecutors said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

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

From Slate ● Feb. 5, 2026

Most of the illegally-mined gold is smuggled out to the United Arab Emirates, from where it is laundered into the global supply chain in Europe, the United States, Asia and South Africa.

From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025

The next morning, Antain donned his freshly laundered robe and headed into the Council Hall well before dawn.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

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

“When a bank of this size fails to meet its anti-money laundering and sanctions obligations, the consequences extend far beyond its own walls, exposing the entire U.S. financial system to significant illicit finance risks.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The US Treasury Department said Tuesday that it is imposing penalties of more than $1.2 billion on Bank of America, citing "violations of anti-money laundering and sanctions laws."

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

They accuse Pulido of wildly overcharging the Venezuelan government and laundering the profits through bank accounts abroad, including in the US.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

A federal grand jury in Washington began what turned out to be a smoke-screen investigation accusing Fischer of money laundering after his match with Spassky in 1992.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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