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

Au pairs can provide childcare for up to 45 hours a week and help with family chores such as laundry, dinner and school drop-offs and pick-ups. — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026

Upstairs there are five bedrooms, a bonus room attached to one bedroom, a sitting room that is part of a second bedroom suite, and a laundry. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Big-suite dwellers receive special perks, such as complimentary laundry service and in-suite espresso machines. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026

Preliminary evaluations have included one wash-and-dry cycle using household laundry equipment and handling of the articles, with no pigment migration or loss observed, according to Oxman. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 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