factory

noun

ˈfak-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce factory (audio)
Definition of factorynext
as in mill
a building or set of buildings for the manufacturing of goods the new factory will create hundreds of much-needed jobs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of factory The billionaire SpaceX and Tesla CEO has set plans in motion to build a colossal factory serving the two companies in Grimes County, Texas, Fortune reports. — India Roby, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2026 Agility chose bulk material handling — moving things around factories and warehouses — as its beachhead because that's where the labor gap is most acute across the US, Europe, Korea and Japan. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 However, homes closest to where a lead smelter and other downtown factories operated tended to have slightly higher concentrations than those farther out. — Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 10 Aug. 2026 The cooks had been arrested, in the spring of 2022, after Russia seized the Azovstal factory, a vast metallurgical complex that became the last stronghold of Ukrainian troops in the city. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for factory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factory
  1. mill
  2. plant
  3. shop
  4. workshop
  5. works
Noun
  • Over the following decades, the company expanded into a sprawling agricultural and industrial enterprise that included sugar mills, a refinery, a rice mill, packaging facilities and one of North America’s largest biomass renewable power plants.
    — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The close trade relationship between Australian iron ore miners and Chinese steel mills means that each side depends heavily on the other.
    — Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of mill
Noun
  • Meghan personally called animal rights attorney Shannon Keith, who runs the Beagle Freedom Project, after hearing about 4,000 beagles being rescued from overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at the Envigo breeding and research plant in Virginia.
    — Audrey Schmidt, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The most stubborn holdout was a recycling plant inside the Fairview fire, where crews kept water aimed at the site in what officials called a two- to three-day job.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of plant
Noun
  • Wake to morning rambles through the Cotswolds, soak up the thermal waters of Bath, try your hand at punting on Cambridge’s River Cam, or wander the eclectic streets and shops of Brighton.
    — Katie Silcox, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Despite the multimillion-dollar vehicles often being worked on, this is still a neighborhood shop.
    — Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of shop
Noun
  • Extra credit The store calendar is packed with CPR classes, story times, music sessions, book clubs, and parenting workshops.
    — Kelly Aiglon, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Local Color, which has grown dramatically in its 11-year history, connects artists with creative opportunities (like many of the murals beautifying San Jose), as well as running workshops, providing studio space and exhibition galleries.
    — Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of workshop
Noun
  • Ellis’ other works include Less Than Zero and American Psycho.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The concept started as a way to give artists a forum for selling their works and bringing the community together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of works

Browse Nearby Words

factors (out)
factory
factotum
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Factory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factory. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on factory

Nglish: Translation of factory for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about factory

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