Laundromat
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A self-service laundry facility with (traditionally) coin-operated (which now may use other per-load payment methods) washing machines, dryers, and sometimes ironing or pressing machines, open to the public for washing clothing and household cloth items. Australia, Canada, US
"In Virginia, gone are the weekly outings to Walmart to stock up on provisions; to El Ranchito, the Mexican convenience store, to buy shell-shaped concha pastries; and to the laundromat to machine wash heavily soiled garments."
- 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 Russian laundromat was soon nicknamed the Moldovan laundromat, as it centred on transactions between Russia and the small, poor country locked between Ukraine and Romania."
Example
More examples"Tom agreed to meet Mary in front of the laundromat."
Etymology
Blend of laundry + automatic. From Laundromat, (former) trademark (1940s) of Westinghouse Electric Corporation for its washing machines, coined by Westinghouse publicist George Edward Pendray.
Related phrases
More for "laundromat"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.