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 noun

factory workers

a factory building

—often used figuratively

a college accused of being a diploma factory

2

archaic : a station where factors reside and trade

a colonial factory

factorylike

ˈfak-t(ə-)rē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Synonyms of factory

• mill
• plant
• shop
• workshop
• works

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

The listener is no longer an outsider from the polite world of public broadcasting, or podcasting, but a tired factory worker longing for relief. —Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025

Investors asked Gildan executives whether companies had started inquiring about moving some of their supply chain into the company’s vertical factories because of the impact of tariffs. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 3 Nov. 2025

They are assembled in factories and rarely move once they’ve been purchased and settled. —Cassie Powell, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025

Anduril is building a huge factory outside Columbus, Ohio, on its own dime (with some generous tax incentives), and will manufacture everything from silent surveillance drones to large unmanned submarines to high-tech headsets for soldiers. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing factory

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

Rhymes for factory

• manufactory
• olfactory
• refractory
• unsatisfactory

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