dormitory

noun

dor·​mi·​to·​ry ˈdȯr-mə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural dormitories

1

: a room for sleeping

especially : a large room containing numerous beds

2

: a residence hall providing rooms for individuals or for groups usually without private baths

3

chiefly British : a residential community inhabited chiefly by commuters

Examples of dormitory in a Sentence

Guests at the camp can stay in private cabins or for a smaller fee in the dormitories.

Recent Examples on the Web

Additionally, strategic investments in player dormitories and practice facilities have fostered a competitive environment that attracts top talent and enhances on-court performance. —Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

More than half of the teams in the current 16-team configuration have built new arenas or undertaken transformative renovations since Sankey was hired, and others have invested in player dormitories and practice facilities. —Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025

He was lodged in a 10th-floor dormitory Saturday night, with two color TV sets, a pool table, telephones and other elderly inmates. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025

So was United Tribes Technical College in North Dakota, which paused renovation of a dormitory originally built as military barracks in 1900. —Matt Krupnick, ProPublica, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin dormitorium, from dormire

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dormitory

• dormitory town

Rhymes for dormitory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• excretory
• extempore
• feudatory
• gustatory

Kids Definition

dormitory

noun

dor·​mi·​to·​ry ˈdȯr-mə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural dormitories

1

: a sleeping room especially for several people

2

: a residence hall having many sleeping rooms