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
New Britain, once the hub of the country’s hand tools and power tools industry, will lose its last remaining hardware factory this year when Stanley Black & Decker’s plant on Myrtle Street shuts down.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2026
Her idea is to serve existing customer bases, keep overheads low and stay true to the brand’s original factory-to-customer concept.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
Workers and owners had to live near factories.
—Yunus Emre Tozal, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
New this year is AMA Venezia, the brainchild of collector Laurent Asscher, who meticulously restored a former soap factory in Cannaregio to inaugurate his own space.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for factory
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Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2026
Her idea is to serve existing customer bases, keep overheads low and stay true to the brand’s original factory-to-customer concept.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
Workers and owners had to live near factories.
—Yunus Emre Tozal, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
New this year is AMA Venezia, the brainchild of collector Laurent Asscher, who meticulously restored a former soap factory in Cannaregio to inaugurate his own space.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 8 May 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 15 May. 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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