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Definition of laundry noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

laundry

noun
 
/ˈlɔːndri/
 
/ˈlɔːndri/
(plural laundries)
Idioms
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  1. [uncountable] clothes, sheets, etc. that need washing, that are being washed, or that have been washed recently synonym washing
    • a pile of clean/dirty laundry
    • a laundry basket/room
    • There was a pile of clean laundry on her bed.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • clean
    • dirty
    … of laundry
    • pile
    verb + laundry
    • do
    • wash
    • fold
    • …
    laundry + noun
    • bag
    • basket
    • hamper
    • …
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable, singular] the process or the job of washing clothes, sheets, etc.
    • Have you done the laundry yet?
    • The hotel has a laundry service.
    Extra Examples
    • The housekeeper cooks, does the laundry and cleans.
    • The hotel offers a free laundry service.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • clean
    • dirty
    … of laundry
    • pile
    verb + laundry
    • do
    • wash
    • fold
    • …
    laundry + noun
    • bag
    • basket
    • hamper
    • …
    See full entry
  3. [countable] a business or place where you send sheets, clothes, etc. to be washed
    • the hospital laundry
    • a laundry van
    4. Word Originearly 16th cent.: contraction of Middle English lavendry, from Old French lavanderie, from lavandier ‘person who washes linen’, based on Latin lavanda ‘things to be washed’, from lavare ‘to wash’.
Idioms
air/wash your dirty laundry/linen in public
  1. (disapproving) to discuss your personal affairs in public, especially something embarrassing
See laundry in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: laundry

Nearby words

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adjective
 
 
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