Meanings
nounlaundry (countable and uncountable, plural laundries)
plural laundries
- countableuncountableA laundering; a washing.
In our family of five, we have to do the laundry every other day.
- countableuncountableA place or room where laundering is done - including, by extension, other forms of laundering than clothes washing.
Old Faithful is sometimes degraded by being made a laundry. Garments placed in the crater during quiescence are ejected thoroughly washed when the eruption takes place.
1883, Henry J. Winser, The Yellowstone National Park-A Manual for Tourists, New York: G.P. Putnam Sons, page 46 - countableuncountableThat which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered.First known use c. 1930
You've left your dirty laundry all over the house.
1 more example
Q. Did you use to do the washing around your house, too? / The Court: She did all the work of the house, I suppose. / Mr. Feltenstein: That's what I want to find out. / A. I gave the laundry to the laundry. / Q. What? / A. I gave the wash to the laundry.
1935, New York Court of Appeals. Records and Briefs., page 69 - countableslanguncountableAmerican footballA penalty flag.
- countableuncountableA business whose primary purpose is to conceal the origins of money received illegally.
Synonyms & antonyms
action
Similar
noungarments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinlavandaria
- Old Frenchlavanderie
- Middle Englishlavendrie
- Englishlaundry
From Middle English lavendrie, from Old French lavanderie, from Latin lavandaria. See launder.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic غَسِيل, غَسْل
- غَسِيل (ḡasīl)laundering; washing
- غَسْل (ḡasl)laundering; washing
- مَصْبَغَة (maṣbaḡa)place or room where laundering is done
- مَغْسَلَة (maḡsala)place or room where laundering is done
- مَغْسَلَة (maḡsala)that which needs to be laundered
Bulgarian пра́не, пера́лня
- пра́не (práne)laundering; washing
- пера́лня (perálnja)place or room where laundering is done
- пра́не (práne)that which needs to be laundered
Catalan bugada, bugada
- bugadalaundering; washing
- bugadathat which needs to be laundered
Chinese Mandarin 洗衣, 洗濯
- 洗衣 (xǐyī)laundering; washing
- 洗濯 (xǐzhuó)laundering; washing
- 洗衣房 (xǐyīfáng)place or room where laundering is done
- 洗衣店 (xǐyīdiàn)place or room where laundering is done
- 要洗的衣服 (yào xǐ de yīfu)that which needs to be laundered
Czech praní, prádelna
- pranílaundering; washing
- prádelnaplace or room where laundering is done
- prádlothat which needs to be laundered
Danish vask, vaskeri
- vasklaundering; washing
- vaskeriplace or room where laundering is done
- vasketøjthat which needs to be laundered
Dutch was, washok
- waslaundering; washing
- washokplace or room where laundering is done
- wasserijplace or room where laundering is done
- wasthat which needs to be laundered
- wasgoedthat which needs to be laundered
Estonian pesumaja
- pesumajaplace or room where laundering is done
Finnish pyykkäys, pyykkääminen
- pyykkäyslaundering; washing
- pyykkääminenlaundering; washing
- pesutupaplace or room where laundering is done
- pesulaplace or room where laundering is done
- pyykkithat which needs to be laundered
French blanchisserie, blanchissage
- blanchisserielaundering; washing
- blanchissagelaundering; washing
- laverieplace or room where laundering is done
- buanderieplace or room where laundering is done
- lingethat which needs to be laundered
German Wäsche, Waschen
- Wäschelaundering; washing
- Waschenlaundering; washing
- Waschkücheplace or room where laundering is done
- Waschraumplace or room where laundering is done
- Wäschereiplace or room where laundering is done
- Waschsalonplace or room where laundering is done
- Wäschethat which needs to be laundered
- Waschgutthat which needs to be laundered
Greek πλύσιμο, μπουγάδα
- πλύσιμο (plýsimo)laundering; washing
- μπουγάδα (bougáda)laundering; washing
- πλυσταριό (plystarió)place or room where laundering is done
- πλυντήριο (plyntírio)place or room where laundering is done
- άπλυτα (áplyta)that which needs to be laundered
Hebrew כְּבִיסָה, חֲדַר כְּבִיסָה
- כְּבִיסָה (kvisá)laundering; washing
- חֲדַר כְּבִיסָה (khadár kvisá)place or room where laundering is done
- כְּבִיסָה (kvisá)that which needs to be laundered
Hindi धुलाई, धुलाईघर
- धुलाई (dhulāī)laundering; washing
- धुलाईघर (dhulāīghar)place or room where laundering is done
- लॉन्ड्री (lŏnḍrī)place or room where laundering is done
- लांड्री (lāṇḍrī)place or room where laundering is done
- धोबीख़ाना (dhobīxānā)place or room where laundering is done
- धोबीखाना (dhobīkhānā)place or room where laundering is done
- धोबीघर (dhobīghar)place or room where laundering is done
Hungarian mosás, mosoda
- mosáslaundering; washing
- mosodaplace or room where laundering is done
- ruhatisztítóplace or room where laundering is done
- patyolatplace or room where laundering is done
- mosókonyhaplace or room where laundering is done
- szennyesthat which needs to be laundered
- mosnivalóthat which needs to be laundered
Icelandic þvottur, þvottahús
- þvotturlaundering; washing
- þvottahúsplace or room where laundering is done
- þvotturthat which needs to be laundered
Indonesian binatu, binatu
- binatulaundering; washing
- binatuplace or room where laundering is done
- penatuplace or room where laundering is done
- cucianthat which needs to be laundered
Irish neachtlann, níochán
- neachtlannplace or room where laundering is done
- níochánthat which needs to be laundered
Italian bucato, lavanderia
- bucatolaundering; washing
- lavanderiaplace or room where laundering is done
- bucatothat which needs to be laundered
Japanese 洗濯, ランドリー
- 洗濯 (sentaku)laundering; washing
- ランドリー (randorī)place or room where laundering is done
- 洗濯屋 (sentakuya)place or room where laundering is done
- 洗濯物 (sentakumono)that which needs to be laundered
Korean 세탁, 빨래
- 세탁 (setak)laundering; washing
- 빨래 (ppallae)laundering; washing
- 세탁실 (setaksil)place or room where laundering is done
- 세탁소 (setakso)place or room where laundering is done
- 빨랫감 (ppallaetgam)that which needs to be laundered
- 세탁물 (setangmul)that which needs to be laundered
Latvian mazgātava
- mazgātavaplace or room where laundering is done
Lithuanian skalbykla, skalbiniai
- skalbyklaplace or room where laundering is done
- skalbiniaithat which needs to be laundered
Malay dobi, dobi
- dobiplace or room where laundering is done
- dobithat which needs to be laundered
Māori rūma horoi kākahu, rūma horoi
- rūma horoi kākahuplace or room where laundering is done
- rūma horoiplace or room where laundering is done
Norwegian klesvask
- klesvasklaundering; washing
Norwegian Bokmål vaskeri, vaskerom
- vaskeriplace or room where laundering is done
- vaskeromplace or room where laundering is done
- skittentøythat which needs to be laundered
Polish pranie, pralnia
- pranielaundering; washing
- pralniaplace or room where laundering is done
- rzeczy do praniathat which needs to be laundered
- praniethat which needs to be laundered
- brudythat which needs to be laundered
- bielizna do praniathat which needs to be laundered
Portuguese lavada, lavação
- lavadalaundering; washing
- lavaçãolaundering; washing
- lavagemlaundering; washing
- lavanderiaplace or room where laundering is done
- lavandariaplace or room where laundering is done
- área de serviçoplace or room where laundering is done
- roupa sujathat which needs to be laundered
Romanian spălare, spălat
- spălarelaundering; washing
- spălatlaundering; washing
- spălătorieplace or room where laundering is done
- cameră de spălatplace or room where laundering is done
- rufethat which needs to be laundered
- lucruri de spălatthat which needs to be laundered
- rufăthat which needs to be laundered
Russian сти́рка, пра́чечная
- сти́рка (stírka)laundering; washing
- пра́чечная (práčečnaja)place or room where laundering is done
- бельё (belʹjó)that which needs to be laundered
Slovak prádlo, pranie
- prádlolaundering; washing
- pranielaundering; washing
- práčovňaplace or room where laundering is done
Spanish colada, lavado
- coladalaundering; washing
- lavadolaundering; washing
- lavanderíaplace or room where laundering is done
- habitación de lavadoplace or room where laundering is done
- lavanderoplace or room where laundering is done
- ropa suciathat which needs to be laundered
- coladathat which needs to be laundered
- lavadothat which needs to be laundered
Swedish tvätt, tvättstuga
- tvättlaundering; washing
- tvättstugaplace or room where laundering is done
- tvätteriplace or room where laundering is done
- tvättthat which needs to be laundered
- smutstvättthat which needs to be laundered
Tagalog paglalaba, labanderya
- paglalabalaundering; washing
- labanderyaplace or room where laundering is done
- tubalthat which needs to be laundered
Thai ซักอบรีด, การซักรีด
- ซักอบรีด (sák-òp-rîit)laundering; washing
- การซักรีด (gaan-sák-rîit)laundering; washing
- ซักอบรีด (sák-òp-rîit)place or room where laundering is done
Turkish yıkama, çamaşır yıkama
- yıkamalaundering; washing
- çamaşır yıkamalaundering; washing
- çamaşırhaneplace or room where laundering is done
- çamaşırthat which needs to be laundered
Ukrainian прання́, пра́льня
- прання́ (prannjá)laundering; washing
- пра́льня (prálʹnja)place or room where laundering is done
- біли́зна (bilýzna)that which needs to be laundered
Urdu دُھلائی, دھوبی گَھر
- دُھلائی (dhulāī)laundering; washing
- دھوبی گَھر (dhobī ghar)place or room where laundering is done
- دُھلائی گَھر (dhulāī ghar)place or room where laundering is done
Vietnamese giặt giạ, giặt giũ
- giặt giạlaundering; washing
- giặt giũlaundering; washing
- phòng giặt làplace or room where laundering is done
- tiệm giặt làplace or room where laundering is done
- quần áo đã giặt làthat which needs to be laundered
Yiddish וועש, גרעט
- וועש (vesh)laundering; washing
- גרעט (gret)laundering; washing
- וועש (vesh)that which needs to be laundered
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with laundry
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
laundry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laundry
MLA
“laundry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laundry. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “laundry,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laundry.
Source: laundry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.