factory

noun

fac·​to·​ry ˈfak-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce factory (audio)
plural factories
1
: a station where factors reside and trade
a colonial factory
2
a
: a building or set of buildings with facilities for manufacturing
b
: the seat of some kind of production
the vice factories of the slums
factorylike adjective

Examples of factory in a Sentence

She got a job in the factory. the new factory will create hundreds of much-needed jobs
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Modular means creating housing — either constituent parts or even entire units — in a factory, then fitting them together on site. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 June 2025 Yet with the old rail factory at Qadam station in disrepair, the know-how to forge, repair, and maintain Ottoman rail is scarce. Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2025 Autonomous trams and underground trains operate in many European countries, and a variety of transportation vehicles move autonomously in closed environments such as factories and ports. Forrester, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025 Precision hand-work like soldering detonators, balancing rotors, and packing warheads remains hard to automate at scale without a bespoke factory line. Harry Law, Time, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for factory

Word History

Etymology

fact(or) entry 1 + -ory entry 1; in sense 1 after Portuguese feitoria; in sense 2 perhaps short for manufactory

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of factory was in 1582

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Cite this Entry

“Factory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factory. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

factory

noun
fac·​to·​ry ˈfak-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce factory (audio)
plural factories
: a building or set of buildings equipped for manufacturing
Etymology

from early French factorie "a place where business is carried on," derived from Latin factor "one that does or makes," from factus, past participle of facere "to make, do" — related to fashion, manufacture

More from Merriam-Webster on factory

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