laundry

noun

laun·​dry ˈlȯn-drē 

ˈlän-

plural laundries

1

a

: a room for doing the family wash

b

: a commercial laundering establishment

2

: clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

Examples of laundry in a Sentence

There's a pile of dirty laundry in the laundry basket.

The patients' sheets are sent regularly to the hospital laundry.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, just because doing laundry isn’t the most beloved task, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done right. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2024

Why the Answer May Be Disappointing Pascal emerged as Joan’s first villain on The Golden Bachelorette after Episode 2 saw another contestant, Gregg Lassen, doing Pascal’s laundry as an apology for snoring so much. —Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 30 Oct. 2024

Before using chlorine bleach for laundry, check the care tag for guidance on whether a garment is bleach-safe. —Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2024

In order to provide a reference for these next-generation laundry processes, Lenzing conducted a study and updated its Laundry Manual. —Carved In Blue, Sourcing Journal, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing laundry

• air one's dirty laundry
• dirty laundry
• do the/one's laundry
• laundry list
• load of laundry

Kids Definition

laundry

noun

laun·​dry ˈlȯn-drē 

ˈlän-

plural laundries

1

: clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

2

: a place where laundering is done

Etymology

from an obsolete word launder (noun) "one who washes clothes," derived from early French lavandier (or lavandiere) "a man (or woman) who washes clothes," from Latin lavandus "needing to be washed," from lavare "to wash" — related to lavatory, lavish, lotion