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
That’s where the third aspect of studying exoplanet hazes — laboratory experiments, coupled with further theoretical modeling — comes into play with such great importance.
—
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 10 Sep. 2025
Prince Harry, 40, opened the Centre for Blast Injury Studies’ new laboratories in 2013 and also attended part of the Blast Injury Conference in 2019.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Tootles chooses not to tell Curly (Erana James) that he’s been chosen to watch over the laboratory alone.
—Leia Mendoza, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
In lieu of attending classes, Shore used the city as both his laboratory and his schoolroom.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
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Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 10 Sep. 2025
Prince Harry, 40, opened the Centre for Blast Injury Studies’ new laboratories in 2013 and also attended part of the Blast Injury Conference in 2019.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Tootles chooses not to tell Curly (Erana James) that he’s been chosen to watch over the laboratory alone.
—Leia Mendoza, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
In lieu of attending classes, Shore used the city as both his laboratory and his schoolroom.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 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 13 Sep. 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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