dirty laundry

noun

: private matters whose public exposure brings distress and embarrassment

called also dirty linen

Examples of dirty laundry in a Sentence

The company is trying to keep its dirty laundry from being aired in public.
Recent Examples on the Web As an additional precaution, wear protective gloves when handling dirty laundry used by someone who is highly contagious. Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2024 Modern Perspectives on Laundry Sorting With the growing popularity of large-capacity front-loading washers in the late 1990s, consumers welcomed the possibility of washing all of the dirty laundry in the hamper at the same time. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2024 Rather than put his family through another devastating trial—the gun case in Delaware was deeply embarrassing to the Bidens as family dirty laundry seemed to come up daily—Hunter Biden entered a guilty plea on Thursday. Philip Elliott, TIME, 7 Sep. 2024 Older kids might start learning to take more responsibility, even if that’s as simple as placing dirty laundry in the proper hamper, and kids at heart could always use a few expert tips to tackle all those piles of dirty clothes. Blake Bakkila, Sunset Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dirty laundry 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dirty laundry was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near dirty laundry

Cite this Entry

“Dirty laundry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dirty%20laundry. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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