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Definition of laundromat

laundromat

/ˈlɔːn.drə.mæt/
laun · dro · mat
Plural:laundromats
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laundromat Lexical Profile

laundromat Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

North American A commercial facility where patrons wash and dry their own clothing and linens using coin-operated or card-operated machines.

Example

"Every Sunday morning, he took his week's worth of dirty clothes to the local laundromat."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for laundromat

Word Nuance & Usage

Primarily used in North American English; the standard British English equivalent is 'launderette'.

• Nearby Words

launderer
launderette
laundress
laundromat
laundry
laundryman
laundrywoman

Word Origin & Etymology

A portmanteau of 'laundry' and 'automat'. It was originally coined in the 1940s by George Edward Pendray as a trademark for Westinghouse's automatic washing machines, but eventually became a genericized trademark for self-service laundry facilities.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Laundromat. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 6, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/laundromat
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