factory

noun

fac·to·ry ˈfak-t(ə-)rē

plural factories

Synonyms of factory

: a building or set of buildings with facilities for manufacturing

a car factory

—often used before another noun

factory workers

a factory building

—often used figuratively

a college accused of being a diploma factory

archaic : a station where factors reside and trade

a colonial factory

factorylike

ˈfak-t(ə-)rē-ˌlīk

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.

The six new machines are currently at different stages of commercialization, meaning not all of the equipment has necessarily entered large-scale use in semiconductor factories. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026 My favorite is a Remington 1100 28-gauge with a factory skeet barrel. — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026 But the factory in southern Germany has to churn a lot of rockets for Isar to fully take advantage of additional launch sites. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026 The story concerns a blue-collar couple, Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and his wife Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon), still struggling to bounce back from the loss of his factory job two years earlier after a brutal government crackdown on striking employees. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for factory

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of factory was in 1582

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Factory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factory. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

factory

noun

fac·to·ry ˈfak-t(ə-)rē

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

factory

noun

Synonyms of factory

Examples of factory in a Sentence

Word History

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factory

noun

Synonyms of factory

Examples of factory in a Sentence

Word History

Phrases Containing factory

Rhymes for factory

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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