What does "launderette" mean?

A place that has facilities for washing and drying clothes that the public may pay to use.

What is a synonym for "launderette"?

Common synonyms include: laundromat, coin laundry, laundrette, laundromat, washateria, washery.

//lɔːnˈdɹɛt// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A place that has facilities for washing and drying clothes that the public may pay to use.
2
a self-service laundry (service mark Laundromat) where coin-operated washing machines are available to individual customers wordnet
3
A money laundering operation.
"The distinction is by no means watertight as any 'money launderette' may become a money launderer – and hence be guilty of a money laundering offence – the moment it knowingly engages in a money laundering operation."

"Tom and Mary met at the launderette."

Genericized trademark of Launderette; originally a proprietary name (1940s) of Bendix corporation, from launder + -ette.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.