sweatshop

American  

[swet-shop] / ˈswɛtˌʃɒp /

noun

1. a shop, small factory, or other workplace employing workers at low wages, for long hours, and under poor conditions.

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sweatshop British  

/ ˈswɛtˌʃɒp /

noun

1. a workshop where employees work long hours under bad conditions for low wages

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sweatshop Cultural  

1. A small factory or shop in which employees are poorly paid and work under adverse conditions. Sweatshops were especially common in the garment industry during the early twentieth century.

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Etymology

Origin of sweatshop

First recorded in 1865–70; sweat + shop

Explanation

A sweatshop is a factory where workers are exploited and not allowed to unionize. You might not sweat in a sweatshop, but you probably work hard and under lousy conditions. In a sweatshop, workers slave away in poor conditions for low pay. Sweatshop workers — who often make clothing — aren't allowed to form unions, so they cannot protest their poor working conditions. In repressive countries that aren't looking out for their citizens, you're more likely to find sweatshops. An American corporation that uses sweatshops overseas could find itself in a lot of trouble.

Example Sentences

Both leaders had famously tough childhoods -- Lee worked in a sweatshop to support his family, while Lula dropped out of school to sell peanuts and shine shoes.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

“Yuletide Factory,” a circus show at the New Victory Theater, splits the difference, locating its cheer inside a sweatshop churning out seasonal doodads.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2024

They lived for a while in Harlem while his mother worked in a sweatshop and got by with the help of food stamps.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2024

In Hong Kong, Mr Lai worked in a garment sweatshop and taught himself English.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2024

From upstairs wafted the smell of fresh paint; from downstairs, the site of the lone toilet, came the sounds of a sweatshop.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• branch
• cooperative
• firm
• industry
• laboratory
• mill
• shop
• workshop