laboratory
noun
lab·o·ra·to·ry
ˈla-b(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē 
sometimes ˈla-bər-ˌtȯr-
or ˈla-bə-ˌtȯr-
or lə-ˈbȯr-ə-ˌtȯr-
plural laboratories
often attributive
1
a
: a place equipped for experimental study in a science or for testing and analysis
a research laboratory
broadly
: a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study
b
: a place like a laboratory for testing, experimentation, or practice
That area is a laboratory for cultivating the germ of terrorism.
2
: an academic period set aside for laboratory work
a course of study requiring two lectures and one laboratory per week
Examples of laboratory in a Sentence
experiments conducted in a modern laboratory
Recent Examples on the Web
Researchers at Princeton University have built a new superconducting qubit with a coherence time three times longer than previously reported in laboratory studies.
—
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Dec. 2025
The center stands as one of the school’s largest laboratories and had over 250 employees when Loureiro was selected as its leader, the school’s website stated.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
In the laboratory, scientists have euthanized hatchlings and examined them internally to learn that certain steady incubation temperatures produce certain ratios of males to females.
—Elizabeth Preston, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
Today, scientists can create, store and study antimatter in the laboratory.
—Dipangkar Dutta, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
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Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Dec. 2025
The center stands as one of the school’s largest laboratories and had over 250 employees when Loureiro was selected as its leader, the school’s website stated.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
In the laboratory, scientists have euthanized hatchlings and examined them internally to learn that certain steady incubation temperatures produce certain ratios of males to females.
—Elizabeth Preston, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
Today, scientists can create, store and study antimatter in the laboratory.
—Dipangkar Dutta, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
Cite this Entry
“Laboratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laboratory. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
laboratory
noun
lab·o·ra·to·ry
ˈlab-(ə-)rə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
-ˌtȯr-
plural laboratories
: a place equipped for making scientific experiments and tests
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