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

Hundreds of workers from the Indian city of Cooch Behar lug steel girders into the concrete shells of what will be dormitories, as a leaf blower removes detritus from an artificial-turf soccer pitch. —By Charlie Campbell/gelephu, Bhutan, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025

The rest of the land includes campus facilities such as dormitories, dining halls, conference centers for Buddhist study and several religious altars used for prayer. —Lauren Costantino and, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025

As a fight broke out in the players' dormitories, the group faked their deaths and lulled the pink guards sent to dispose of their bodies into a false sense of security. —Esther Kang, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025

The apartment, adjacent to and across from a dozen other rooms in a long second-floor hallway, is similar to a college dormitory room, about 16 feet by 16 feet. —Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024

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

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