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

Common hazards include prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, cleaning and laundry products, cosmetics, pesticides, automotive fluids, and batteries. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

There’s a music and arts room, an area for people to practice life skills like folding laundry, a room dedicated to play with a rock wall, trampoline and a foam pit. — Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026

The free laundry service is pretty clutch, as are the chocolate chip cookies. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026

In the chaotic moment, water rushed inside, eventually overtaking multiple makeshift barriers made of laundry that appeared to have been used to slow the initial flow of water. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

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