factory
Americannoun
plural
factories-
a building or group of buildings with facilities for the manufacture of goods.
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any place producing a uniform product, without concern for individuality.
They call it a law school, but it's just a degree factory.
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(formerly) an establishment for factors and merchants carrying on business in a foreign country.
noun
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a building or group of buildings containing a plant assembly for the manufacture of goods
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( as modifier )
a factory worker
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rare a trading station maintained by factors in a foreign country
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(formerly) a main trading station for the exchange and transshipment of furs
Other Word Forms
- factory-like adjective
- factorylike adjective
- subfactory noun
Etymology
Origin of factory
From the Medieval Latin word factōria, dating back to 1550–60. See factor, -y 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No bond for the factory means it can’t attract any business.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
His band quickly took control of a federal armory and rifle factory in the sleeping town of Harpers Ferry.
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026
That would be the largest quarterly drop from the previous year since mid-2022, when factory disruptions during the Covid pandemic snarled vehicle production, according to figures from Kelley Blue Book.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
The chip maker agreed to buy back Apollo Global Management’s stake in a joint venture related to its Ireland factory.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Because when the workers processed the pineapple, they discarded the cores in a huge pile behind the factory.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
