dormitory

noun

dor·​mi·​to·​ry ˈdȯr-mə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural dormitories

1

: a room for sleeping

especially : a large room containing numerous beds

2

: a residence hall providing rooms for individuals or for groups usually without private baths

3

chiefly British : a residential community inhabited chiefly by commuters

Examples of dormitory in a Sentence

Guests at the camp can stay in private cabins or for a smaller fee in the dormitories.

Recent Examples on the Web

Two new dormitories, with 292 beds total, and a dining hall opened this month. —Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Jan. 2025

The set has been redesigned: a huge X (no) and O (yes) is now the centerpiece of the player dormitories. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024

But when echoes of gunfire in the athletes' dormitories turns into confirmation of two dead athletes and demands from a group called Black September, the Olympics script goes out the window. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024

Matron’s flat was just off the main dormitory wing. —Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin dormitorium, from dormire

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dormitory

• dormitory town

Rhymes for dormitory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• excretory
• extempore
• feudatory
• gustatory

Kids Definition

dormitory

noun

dor·​mi·​to·​ry ˈdȯr-mə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural dormitories

1

: a sleeping room especially for several people

2

: a residence hall having many sleeping rooms