factory
noun
fac·to·ry
ˈfak-t(ə-)rē 
plural factories
1
: a building or set of buildings with facilities for manufacturing
a car factory
—often used before another nounfactory workers
a factory building
—often used figurativelya college accused of being a diploma factory
2
archaic
: a station where factors reside and trade
a colonial factory
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
Industrial push The race to perfect robots and automate is part of Beijing’s sweeping push to upgrade the country’s manufacturing capabilities and defend its position as the world’s factory floor in a new era of high tech, rising labor costs and a shrinking workforce.
—
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Experts view these displays as a prelude to deploying robots in factories and logistics centers.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Feb. 2026
Launched in 2019, the festival also taps into the ecological challenges facing the Mediterranean port city of Gabès in Southern Tunisia, linked to an aging chemical factory producing phosphate fertilizers, as a hub for thinking about a different future for the city and its local population.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program’s work started decades ago to clean up sites contaminated by hazardous waste from mining operations, landfills and factories.
—Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for factory
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Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Experts view these displays as a prelude to deploying robots in factories and logistics centers.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Feb. 2026
Launched in 2019, the festival also taps into the ecological challenges facing the Mediterranean port city of Gabès in Southern Tunisia, linked to an aging chemical factory producing phosphate fertilizers, as a hub for thinking about a different future for the city and its local population.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program’s work started decades ago to clean up sites contaminated by hazardous waste from mining operations, landfills and factories.
—Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for factory
Cite this Entry
“Factory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factory. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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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