factory

noun

fac·​to·​ry ˈfak-t(ə-)rē 

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

ˈfak-t(ə-)rē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Synonyms

• manufactory
• mill
• plant
• shop
• works
• workshop

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

Short answer: because most of it is coming directly from factories in China, skipping the usual retail markups. —Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2025

More than 40% of its factories are outside of East Asia, including nine in Honduras and seven apiece in Canada, Guatemala and Nicaragua. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 10 Apr. 2025

Nissan builds the Pathfinder and some Rogues at its factory in Smyrna, Tennessee. —Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025

While the company has been also assembling narrow-body aircraft out of its Mobile, Alabama, factory, tariffs on products from Europe could hit many of the hundreds of components that go into a plane. —Dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger,jeff Cox,christina Wilkie,erin Doherty,ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025

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

Phrases Containing factory

• factory farm
• factory ship
• on the factory floor
• the factory floor
• think factory

Rhymes for factory

• manufactory
• olfactory
• refractory
• unsatisfactory

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