What does laundry mean?
Laundry commonly means clothes that need to be washed, have been washed, or are currently being washed. In British and American English, it can also refer more broadly to the activity of laundering clothes, especially washing and ironing them. The word often appears in practical, domestic expressions such as “do the laundry,” “dirty laundry,” and “a laundry basket.” Its use can imply a regular household routine, making it especially familiar in descriptions of domestic life. Less commonly, “laundry” means a commercial business that washes, dries, or irons clothes for customers. Although “laundry service” and “laundromat” are related terms, they are not interchangeable: the former describes the service, while the latter names a particular self-service establishment. Overall, laundry is a practical and thoroughly established word for both the wash itself and the clothes involved in it.
Clothes that are to be, are being, or have been washed, especially at home or in a laundromat.
"The clean laundry was folded and put away."
Usually used as an uncountable collective noun.
The activity or process of washing and ironing clothes.
"We do the laundry every Saturday morning."
This sense is especially common in the expression “do the laundry.”
A business that washes and irons clothes for customers.
"The hotel sends its linens to a commercial laundry."
This is a less common sense, and the plural “laundries” is used for such businesses.
The plural is used mainly for separate commercial businesses that wash and iron clothes for customers. The everyday collective use of “laundry” is normally uncountable.
"There are several laundries near the train station."
The word “laundry” began as a reference to washing, not to the pile of clothes: its oldest roots are tied to water and cleansing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does laundry come from?
The word developed through Middle English “laundry,” from Old French “lavandiere,” a female worker associated with washing. That French word came from Medieval Latin “lavandaria,” derived from Latin “lavare,” meaning “to wash.” English later developed the related verb “launder,” and modern forms such as “laundromat” and “laundrette” reflect the same long-established vocabulary of washing and laundering.
Related word forms
How laundry is actually used
“Laundry” is usually an uncountable collective noun in everyday use. “Laundries” is used mainly for separate businesses or establishments providing laundry services.
Easily confused with laundry
Laundry is the collective noun for clothes being washed, while to launder is the verb meaning to wash and iron them.
Laundry refers to the clothes or the washing process, whereas a laundromat is a self-service business where customers wash and dry clothes.