dormitory

noun

dor·​mi·​to·​ry ˈdȯr-mə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural dormitories

1

: a room for sleeping

especially : a large room containing numerous beds

2

: a residence hall providing rooms for individuals or for groups usually without private baths

3

chiefly British : a residential community inhabited chiefly by commuters

Examples of dormitory in a Sentence

Guests at the camp can stay in private cabins or for a smaller fee in the dormitories.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Biergarten, picnic tables, adjacent dormitory and apartment where Clark resides survived the fire. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025

On Randall’s Island, city workers have begun dismantling the giant tent dormitories that once housed 3,000 migrants in cots, slowly restoring the athletic fields they were built on. —Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024

The incident, which took place in the Ulysses S. Jones Hall dormitory, left at least one person injured and taken to the hospital, according to ABC affiliate WBRZ. —T. Michelle Murphy, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2025

Two new dormitories, with 292 beds total, and a dining hall opened this month. —Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin dormitorium, from dormire

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dormitory

• dormitory town

Rhymes for dormitory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• excretory
• extempore
• feudatory
• gustatory

Kids Definition

dormitory

noun

dor·​mi·​to·​ry ˈdȯr-mə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural dormitories

1

: a sleeping room especially for several people

2

: a residence hall having many sleeping rooms