factory

noun

fac·​to·​ry ˈfak-t(ə-)rē 

plural factories

1

: a building or set of buildings with facilities for manufacturing

a car factory

—often used before another noun

factory workers

a factory building

—often used figuratively

a college accused of being a diploma factory

2

archaic : a station where factors reside and trade

a colonial factory

factorylike

ˈfak-t(ə-)rē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Synonyms of factory

• mill
• plant
• shop
• workshop
• works

Examples of factory in a Sentence

She got a job in the factory.

the new factory will create hundreds of much-needed jobs

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the next several years their unions win, over and over, in the courts, but the Weimar government is powerless to enforce court decisions against the owners of coal mines and steel factories. —Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025

China’s factory activity shrank for an eighth month in November, an official manufacturing survey showed, with new orders staying in contraction. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Dec. 2025

Students in the district's Apex program helped with the creation of BoulderMOD, a modular factory producing energy-efficient and permanently affordable homes. —Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

The Florentine company, which makes full kitchens from scratch in its Italian factories, struck the owners as the right partner—and not just because its historic aesthetic fit in with the rest of the building. —Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

fact(or) entry 1 + -ory entry 1; in sense 2 after Portuguese feitoria; in sense 1 perhaps short for manufactory

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing factory

• factory farm
• factory ship
• on the factory floor
• the factory floor
• think factory

Rhymes for factory

• manufactory
• olfactory
• refractory
• unsatisfactory

Kids Definition

factory

noun

fac·​to·​ry ˈfak-t(ə-)rē 

plural factories

: a building or set of buildings equipped for manufacturing

Etymology

from early French factorie "a place where business is carried on," derived from Latin factor "one that does or makes," from factus, past participle of facere "to make, do" — related to fashion, manufacture