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
In the years since its mid-‘90s debut, the Air Max 95’s Air bubbles had grown increasingly smaller, a byproduct of decades of factory changes and material shifts.
—
Riley Jones, Footwear News, 13 Jan. 2026
Nowhere is that integration more visible than along the San Diego-Tijuana corridor, where factories, logistics hubs and service providers on both sides depend on predictable cross-border trade.
—Diego Marroquin Bitar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Her employment pass from a nearby factory still hangs from her neck.
—Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
The photo outside Enzo Ferrari’s house in the grounds of its factory in Maranello, Italy, on his first day at the latter screamed ‘aura’.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for factory
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Riley Jones, Footwear News, 13 Jan. 2026
Nowhere is that integration more visible than along the San Diego-Tijuana corridor, where factories, logistics hubs and service providers on both sides depend on predictable cross-border trade.
—Diego Marroquin Bitar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Her employment pass from a nearby factory still hangs from her neck.
—Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
The photo outside Enzo Ferrari’s house in the grounds of its factory in Maranello, Italy, on his first day at the latter screamed ‘aura’.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 12 Jan. 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 16 Jan. 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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