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
At the 100-day mark, the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie could hang on a strand of DNA that's still being evaluated by scientists at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, in hopes of identifying her abductor.
—
Anna Schecter, CBS News, 12 May 2026
His ranches in New Mexico, Montana, Nebraska and elsewhere have become living laboratories.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
The system can store about 5 percent of its weight in water under laboratory conditions.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 May 2026
Three of the cases were confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing, according to a WHO update shared on May 6.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
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Anna Schecter, CBS News, 12 May 2026
His ranches in New Mexico, Montana, Nebraska and elsewhere have become living laboratories.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
The system can store about 5 percent of its weight in water under laboratory conditions.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 May 2026
Three of the cases were confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing, according to a WHO update shared on May 6.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
Cite this Entry
“Laboratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laboratory. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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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