launder

1 of 2

verb

laun·​der ˈlȯn-dər How to pronounce launder (audio)
ˈlän-
laundered; laundering ˈlȯn-d(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce launder (audio)
ˈlän-

transitive verb

1
: to wash (something, such as clothing) in water
2
: to make ready for use by washing and ironing
a freshly laundered shirt
3
: to transfer (illegally obtained money or investments) through an outside party to conceal the true source
4
: sanitize sense 2
laundered language

intransitive verb

: to wash or wash and iron clothing or household linens
launderer noun

launder

2 of 2

noun

: trough
especially : a box conduit conveying particulate material suspended in water in ore dressing

Examples of launder in a Sentence

Verb He used a phony business to launder money from drug dealing. had to launder the quarterback's off-the-cuff's remarks before they could be quoted in the newspaper
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The same groups selling thousands of pounds of marijuana are also laundering millions of dollars of fentanyl money. Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024 Mesa police’s organized crime unit was critical to a months-long Internal Revenue Service investigation that led to the arrest of a New River couple who were charged with defrauding the state's Medicaid system and laundering the proceeds. Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Charges against the 17 individuals include two narcotics conspiracies, 12 drug possession offenses and a money laundering conspiracy. Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 The effort follows a pattern the Kremlin has used before: laundering claims that first appear online through lesser news organizations. Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The money laundering charge could get her up to 20 years in prison. Stuart Leavenworth, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Kasprzak was charged with theft in a business setting and money laundering an amount between $10,000 and $100,000, felonies which each come with a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years. Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2024 Using Mexican producers, international drug cartels linked to the Chinese government are laundering money and trafficking deadly drugs -- and killing Americans at a record rate. Luke Niforatos, National Review, 22 Feb. 2024 Then, last week, the show laundered Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s racist Civil War denialism. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2024
Noun
At the top, there’s a head office that supervises the operation and launders proceeds. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 1 Feb. 2023 Tired working parents will also be the first to admit that cloth diapers require more parent time to process and launder compared to disposables. Lorraine Wilde, Treehugger, 18 July 2023 The two brothers were charged in 2020 with helping launder as much as $28 million in bribe payments allegedly made by Odebrecht—now named Novonor—to an unidentified high-level Panamanian government official described by prosecutors as their close relative. Dylan Tokar, WSJ, 20 May 2022 Those traffickers and money launderers manufacture drugs in Mexico, move those drugs into the U.S., and collect, launder and transfer the proceeds of drug trafficking, the department added. Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2023 Once the garment sits for the time recommended on your laundry pretreatment, launder as usual. Brigitt Earley, Good Housekeeping, 7 Apr. 2023 According to the indictment, Mr. Guo, a co-defendant and other co-conspirators in 2018 began using fraudulent and fictitious business and investment opportunities to solicit, launder and misappropriate money from their victims. Michael Forsythe, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023 Machines launder, fold, and seal blankets (although the thicker business class duvets are folded by hand). Ramsey Qubein, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2022 He’s also been accused of helping Murdaugh sell drugs and launder money and is facing charges including money laundering, forgery, and possessing, manufacturing, or distributing narcotics. Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'launder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English launder, noun

Noun

Middle English, launderer, from Anglo-French lavandere, from Medieval Latin lavandarius, from Latin lavandus, gerundive of lavare to wash — more at lye

First Known Use

Verb

1664, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1667, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of launder was in 1664

Dictionary Entries Near launder

Cite this Entry

“Launder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/launder. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

launder

verb
laun·​der
ˈlȯn-dər,
ˈlän-
laundered; laundering
-d(ə-)riŋ
1
: to wash or wash and iron clothing or household linens
2
: to undergo washing and ironing
launderer
-dər-ər
noun

Legal Definition

launder

transitive verb
laun·​der
: to transfer (money or instruments deriving from illegal activity) so as to conceal the true nature and source
launder money through an offshore account

More from Merriam-Webster on launder

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