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

factorylike

ˈfak-t(ə-)rē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Synonyms

• manufactory
• mill
• plant
• shop
• works
• workshop

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

His family lived with his uncle in Harlem, supported by his mother's job in a sweatshop sewing factory and food stamps. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024

Few industries generate more data than factories—from sensors and pumps to motors and compressors. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

The children then request to leave the tour early, only to learn that Charlie has planned to pass the factory onto them. —EW.com, 10 Apr. 2024

On the surface, working for a place like Sama seemed like a huge step up for young people from the slums, many of whom had family roots in factory work. —Seyward Darby, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024

The documentary alleges that the clothes were produced in factories in Prato, Italy, a textile hub in Europe where labor conditions are not closely regulated. —Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024

The first fab or factory, announced in 2021, will start producing chips during the first half of 2025. —Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024

Volkswagen acquired the Zwickau factory after reunification and gradually expanded it into one of the company’s biggest production sites. —Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024

Despite letting people know prices were going up, Tesla was forced to trim production from its Shanghai factory, Bloomberg reported late last month. —Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

fact(or) entry 1 + -ory entry 1; in sense 1 after Portuguese feitoria; in sense 2 perhaps short for manufactory

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing factory

• factory farm
• factory ship
• on the factory floor
• the factory floor
• think factory

Kids 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