Definition of 'factory'

Word Frequency

factory

(fæktri )

Word forms: plural factories

countable noun [oft noun NOUN]

A factory is a large building where machines are used to make large quantities of goods.

He owned furniture factories in New York State.

Synonyms: works, plant, mill, workshop More Synonyms of factory

Video: pronunciation of 'factory'

Word Frequency

factory in British

(ˈfæktərɪ )

nounWord forms: plural -ries

a building or group of buildings containing a plant assembly for the manufacture of goods

(as modifier)

a factory worker

2. rare

a trading station maintained by factors in a foreign country

3. Canadian

(formerly) a main trading station for the exchange and transshipment of furs

Derived forms

factory-like (ˈfactory-ˌlike)

adjective

Word origin of 'factory'

C16: from Late Latin factorium; see factor

Word Frequency

factory in American

(ˈfæktəri ; fakˈtərē; often ˈfæktri ; fakˈtrē)

nounWord forms: plural ˈfactories

a building or buildings in which things are manufactured; manufacturing plant

a trading settlement maintained by factors

Word origin of 'factory'

Fr factorie < facteur: see factor; (sense 2) < Port feitoria

Example sentences containing 'factory'

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These included pan-European headquarters, new factories and sales offices. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Town birds are kept warm on cold nights by heat from buildings and factories. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The factory originally manufactured paint and varnish. Times, Sunday Times (2006)The plan was that we would initially position a company group in the factory. Stewart, Bob (Lt-Col) Broken Lives (1993)His factories make one in ten cars. Times, Sunday Times (2013)Normally large chemical factories pose little or no threat to the public. Lashford, Stephanie The Residue Report - an action plan for safer food (1988)The parts are then shipped to the factory for final assembly. Times, Sunday Times (2013)Many countries are pumping resources into building their own new steel factories. Times, Sunday Times (2006)Vintage factory or shop furniture is very chic. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Most of the buildings were originally factories or warehouses and have amazing high ceilings and huge windows. Times, Sunday Times (2014)It is more like an accidental fire which destroys a large factory at an industrial plant. Times, Sunday Times (2008)Adding to capacity is no longer about building a new factory or an additional production line. Times, Sunday Times (2010) Building factories and getting all the new technology to work together was no simple matter. John Cassidy DOT.CON (2001)Where would we get our electric and fancy goods that we no longer have the factories to make? The Sun (2008)Many of the old villas had been torn down to make space for the workers of a furniture factory. Marsden, Philip The Crossing-Place (1993)The company is raising 2.5m to help fund the construction of a larger factory. Times, Sunday Times (2013)The new factory will be able to produce 45,000 tonnes. Times, Sunday Times (2015)I spent one summer during seminary working nights in a factory that manufactured them. Christianity Today (2000)Elderly patients will receive dignified care only when managers stop seeing wards as factory assembly lines, health experts said yesterday. Times, Sunday Times (2011)This is usually found in relatively small working groups, like a dance troupe or an autonomous working group in a factory. Torrington, Derek Personnel Management: A New Approach (1991)Machines take no account of human needs, and you need not be working on a factory assembly line to feel as though you are. Atkinson, Jacqueline M Coping with Stress at Work (1988)It's 1968 and a group of female factory workers go on strike over unfair pay. The Sun (2011)Their absorption into the factories of New England speeded the disintegration of the system of hiring young farm women. Garraty, John Arthur The American Nation: A History of the United States to 1877 (1995)The house uses wooden walls clad in zinc, which are manufactured at a factory near Berlin then assembled on site. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The yellow book has seen taxpayers, rather than companies, bear the cost of redundancies as shrinking budgets have shut defence factories across the country. Times, Sunday Times (2012)