What does launderer mean?
A launderer is most commonly a person involved in laundering money: secretly transferring, concealing, or disguising the origins of illegally obtained funds. In older and less frequent usage, a launderer is someone who washes and irons clothes; in British English, the term can also mean a washing machine. The financial sense usually has a strongly negative connotation and is frequently used in reports about organized crime, corruption, fraud, and financial investigations. The word can also appear in more neutral legal contexts, as in “suspected money launderer,” although it usually implies deliberate concealment rather than ordinary banking activity. Understanding the distinction is useful because laundering money can involve moving funds through seemingly legitimate businesses, banks, or transactions without revealing their true source.
A person who conceals the origins or ownership of illegally obtained money.
"The court sentenced the convicted money launderer to several years in prison."
This is the dominant modern sense, especially in legal, journalistic, and law-enforcement contexts.
A person who washes and irons clothes.
"The launderer returned the pressed shirts by the end of the day."
This sense is now relatively uncommon outside older usage and specialist contexts.
A machine for washing clothes, especially in British English.
"The launderer is installed in the basement of the apartment building."
This sense is chiefly British; in American English, washing machine is more usual.
The regular plural adds -s; in legal and financial writing, money launderers commonly refers to multiple people involved in concealing illicit funds.
"Detectives suspected that several money launderers were using the company to disguise transactions."
A launderer can wash a shirt clean—or make dirty money look respectable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does launderer come from?
The word ultimately comes through Old French and Latin terms connected with the Latin verb lavare, meaning “to wash.” English developed the noun launder for washing, and launderer was formed as an agent noun meaning a person who washes. The financial meaning developed from the broader idea of “cleaning” money so that its illicit origin would be difficult to trace. The related words lavatory and lavish also trace to the Latin root for washing, although their modern meanings have diverged considerably.
Related word forms
How launderer is actually used
The financial sense is especially common in journalism and legal contexts. The older sense of a person who washes clothes is now less common, while the sense meaning a washing machine is chiefly associated with British English.
Easily confused with launderer
A launderer is a person or machine that performs laundering, while launder is the verb describing the act of washing clothes or concealing the origins of money.