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 Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas was so concerned about Rivian stretching itself too thin last month that the analyst looked for any signal that plans to build a dedicated R2 factory in Georgia for $5 billion had changed in light of the recent EV market slowdown. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Production was halted at the factory after the attack on a nearby electricity pylon cut power to the facility. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024 As part of its investment, Toyota will expand its factories in the cities of Porto Feliz, which will start building engines with hybrid systems by 2025, and Sorocaba, which will start assembling batteries by 2026. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 6 Mar. 2024 The incident at Tesla's first European factory poses another setback for the company, which is facing pressure from a German metalworkers union and global supply chain issues because of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Esme Nicholson, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 In the United States, where Buldak is on the shelves of Walmart and Costco, the company is considering opening a factory again. Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 In Chicago, the bus would be met by an associate, named Pablo Vega, who had grown up in a nearby suburb and worked in local factories. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 The other a Republican factory worker who turned turned into a right-wing populist with brash deliveries on about culture war issues. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024 Promising and Scary: In Michigan, a presidential battleground state, electric vehicles are emerging as a contested piece of the economic future: Is the shift to such vehicles a fresh source of dynamism and paychecks, or the latest reason to fret about the fate of American factory workers? Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'factory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near factory

Cite this Entry

“Factory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factory. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

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