laboratory
noun
lab·o·ra·to·ry
ˈla-b(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē 
sometimes ˈla-bər-ˌtȯr-,
or ˈla-bə-ˌtȯr-,
or lə-ˈbȯr-ə-ˌtȯr-
plural laboratories
often attributive
1
a
: a place equipped for experimental study in a science or for testing and analysis
a research laboratory
broadly
: a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study
b
: a place like a laboratory for testing, experimentation, or practice
That area is a laboratory for cultivating the germ of terrorism.
2
: an academic period set aside for laboratory work
a course of study requiring two lectures and one laboratory per week
Examples of laboratory in a Sentence
experiments conducted in a modern laboratory
Recent Examples on the Web
The two-story Komoka home is a real-world laboratory where the team collects and analyzes data.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
The 52-page report was touted as a national strategy to align DOE, the industry and national laboratories in the hopes of delivering commercial fusion energy to the grid by the mid-2030s.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 2025
The first-of-its-kind facility houses a shipping warehouse and medical labs for three companies, including HealthTrackRx, a leading molecular testing laboratory that tests for infectious diseases.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 29 Oct. 2025
The strips were developed by a leading pharmaceutical company and have been tried and tested at numerous laboratories including the Clinical Trials Laboratory Services (CTLS) and the University of Strathclyde.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
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Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
The 52-page report was touted as a national strategy to align DOE, the industry and national laboratories in the hopes of delivering commercial fusion energy to the grid by the mid-2030s.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 2025
The first-of-its-kind facility houses a shipping warehouse and medical labs for three companies, including HealthTrackRx, a leading molecular testing laboratory that tests for infectious diseases.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 29 Oct. 2025
The strips were developed by a leading pharmaceutical company and have been tried and tested at numerous laboratories including the Clinical Trials Laboratory Services (CTLS) and the University of Strathclyde.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
Cite this Entry
“Laboratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laboratory. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
laboratory
noun
lab·o·ra·to·ry
ˈlab-(ə-)rə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
-ˌtȯr-
plural laboratories
: a place equipped for making scientific experiments and tests
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