laundromat

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laundromat

/ˈlɔːndɹəʊˌmæt/ UK
/ˈlɔːndɹəmæt/ UK
/ˈlɑn.dɹəˌmæt/ cot caught merger
/ˈloːn.dɹə.mæt/ Australia

Where it comes from

Blend of laundry + automatic. From Laundromat, (former) trademark (1940s) of Westinghouse Electric Corporation for its washing machines, coined by Westinghouse publicist George Edward Pendray.

noun laundromats

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US A self-service laundry facility with (traditionally) coin-operated (which now may use other per-load payment methods) washing machines, dryers, and sometimes ironing or pressing machines, open to the public for washing clothing and household cloth items. In Virginia, gone are the weekly outings to Walmart to stock up on provisions; to El Ranchito, the Mexican convenience store, to buy shell-shaped concha pastries; and to the laundromat to machine wash heavily soiled garments.
Similar: launderette, laundrette, washeteria, washery, washette, coin laundry
A money laundering operation. The Russian laundromat was soon nicknamed the Moldovan laundromat, as it centred on transactions between Russia and the small, poor country locked between Ukraine and Romania.
Similar: launderette

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MLA

"laundromat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/laundromat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

laundromat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/laundromat

Chicago

"laundromat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/laundromat.

BibTeX

@misc{laundromat_2026,
  title = {laundromat},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/laundromat},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}