factory
noun
fac·to·ry
ˈfak-t(ə-)rē 
plural factories
1
: a station where factors reside and trade
a colonial factory
2
a
: a building or set of buildings with facilities for manufacturing
b
: the seat of some kind of production
the vice factories of the slums
Examples of factory in a Sentence
She got a job in the factory.
the new factory will create hundreds of much-needed jobs
Recent Examples on the Web
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (3rd L) visits VMZ, Bulgaria's largest arms factory, accompanied by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Jelyazkov (2nd L) in Sopot, Bulgaria on August 31, 2025.
—
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
In Highland Park, another lakefront community about 14 miles north of Evanston, a fierce debate is underway about the redevelopment of a 28-acre vacant tract once the site of a Solo Cup factory.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un tours an unnamed missile factory on August 31, 2025, according to state media.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Born in Chicago to a Greek immigrant mother and a Mexican immigrant father who worked in factories and sold insurance, Portillo grew up poor in a public housing project.
—Giacomo Tognini, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for factory
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Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
In Highland Park, another lakefront community about 14 miles north of Evanston, a fierce debate is underway about the redevelopment of a 28-acre vacant tract once the site of a Solo Cup factory.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un tours an unnamed missile factory on August 31, 2025, according to state media.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Born in Chicago to a Greek immigrant mother and a Mexican immigrant father who worked in factories and sold insurance, Portillo grew up poor in a public housing project.
—Giacomo Tognini, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for factory
Cite this Entry
“Factory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factory. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
factory
noun
fac·to·ry
ˈfak-t(ə-)rē
plural factories
: a building or set of buildings equipped for manufacturing
Etymology
from early French factorie "a place where business is carried on," derived from Latin factor "one that does or makes," from factus, past participle of facere "to make, do" — related to fashion, manufacture
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