laboratory
noun
lab·o·ra·to·ry
ˈla-b(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē 
sometimes ˈla-bər-ˌtȯr-,
or ˈla-bə-ˌtȯr-,
or lə-ˈbȯr-ə-ˌtȯr-
plural laboratories
often attributive
1
a
: a place equipped for experimental study in a science or for testing and analysis
a research laboratory
broadly
: a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study
b
: a place like a laboratory for testing, experimentation, or practice
That area is a laboratory for cultivating the germ of terrorism.
2
: an academic period set aside for laboratory work
a course of study requiring two lectures and one laboratory per week
Examples of laboratory in a Sentence
experiments conducted in a modern laboratory
Recent Examples on the Web
Authorities further said that the victim’s family was notified, and the body was taken to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation laboratory to be autopsied.
—
David Chiu, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Thousands of inmates wrongly tested positive for opiate use inside California state prisons last year because of a laboratory mistake, and civil rights attorneys now worry many of them could be denied parole and a chance at freedom because of it.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The network directories are visible to thousands of employees involved in nuclear weapons work at facilities and laboratories throughout the U.S., but the networks themselves can only be accessed on specific terminals in secure rooms designated for the handling of classified information.
—Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 28 Apr. 2025
The work could help scientists better understand the edges of continents in other parts of the world; many say that eastern North America is a sort of natural laboratory for studying similar regions.
—Alexandra Witze, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
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David Chiu, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Thousands of inmates wrongly tested positive for opiate use inside California state prisons last year because of a laboratory mistake, and civil rights attorneys now worry many of them could be denied parole and a chance at freedom because of it.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The network directories are visible to thousands of employees involved in nuclear weapons work at facilities and laboratories throughout the U.S., but the networks themselves can only be accessed on specific terminals in secure rooms designated for the handling of classified information.
—Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 28 Apr. 2025
The work could help scientists better understand the edges of continents in other parts of the world; many say that eastern North America is a sort of natural laboratory for studying similar regions.
—Alexandra Witze, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
Cite this Entry
“Laboratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laboratory. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
laboratory
noun
lab·o·ra·to·ry
ˈlab-(ə-)rə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
-ˌtȯr-
plural laboratories
: a place equipped for making scientific experiments and tests
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