laundry

noun

laun·​dry ˈlȯn-drē 

ˈlän-

plural laundries

1

a

: a room for doing the family wash

b

: a commercial laundering establishment

2

: clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

Examples of laundry in a Sentence

There's a pile of dirty laundry in the laundry basket.

The patients' sheets are sent regularly to the hospital laundry.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her then 10-year-old stepsister went to visit other family on the property to get help with homework, and Athena was supposed to be sorting laundry in her room. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026

The coin laundry that was next door is now a high-end stationery shop. —Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026

The building, constructed in 2017, offers in-unit laundry, central heating and modern stainless steel appliances. —Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026

Many people also like their small laundry room to contain a cabinet or closet for linens and have room to tuck away laundry baskets, drying racks, ironing boards, and the like. —Lindsey Mather, Architectural Digest, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing laundry

• air one's dirty laundry
• dirty laundry
• do the/one's laundry
• laundry list
• load of laundry

Kids Definition

laundry

noun

laun·​dry ˈlȯn-drē 

ˈlän-

plural laundries

1

: clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

2

: a place where laundering is done

Etymology

from an obsolete word launder (noun) "one who washes clothes," derived from early French lavandier (or lavandiere) "a man (or woman) who washes clothes," from Latin lavandus "needing to be washed," from lavare "to wash" — related to lavatory, lavish, lotion