launderette

noun

laun·​der·​ette ˌlȯn-də-ˈret How to pronounce launderette (audio)
ˌlän-
variants or less commonly laundrette
ˌlȯn-ˈdret How to pronounce launderette (audio)
ˌlän-
: a self-service laundry

Examples of launderette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For everyone, there are self-service launderettes onboard. Georgina Cruz, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Most cruise ships offer laundry pressing and dry cleaning services, or even self-serve launderettes with an ironing board. Brittany Chrusciel, Travel + Leisure, 23 Apr. 2023 About eight hundred thousand people working launderettes or dry cleaners were let go. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 8 May 2020 But voters can also cast ballots at pubs and more unconventional locations, including hair salons, a historic windmill in eastern England and a launderette in Oxford. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2019 Check to see if there is a self-service launderette, and use it. Erica Silverstein, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2019 Despite its relatively strict anti-money-laundering regulations, London is a favoured financial launderette for European gangsters. The Economist, 24 Jan. 2018 In 1967, the business district in the Haight looked like most mid-century American main streets: drug stores and barbershop poles, Coca-Cola signs in the window of the launderette. Longreads, 7 Aug. 2017 Here’s a look at scenes at various polling stations across the U.K.—set up in pubs, launderettes, mobile homes, and other quirky locations—as the British people choose their next leader. Tom Hall, Bloomberg.com, 8 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'launderette.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from Launderette, a service mark

First Known Use

circa 1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of launderette was circa 1948

Dictionary Entries Near launderette

Cite this Entry

“Launderette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/launderette. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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