laboratory

noun

lab·​o·​ra·​to·​ry ˈla-b(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce laboratory (audio)
 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 The facility is an engineering and science laboratory with the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 The Crew Dragon spacecraft was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Sunday night from the Kennedy Space Center, kicking off a 28-hour flight to deliver three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the orbiting laboratory. William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024 But while studying the fishes’ brains in a laboratory, a team of researchers in Germany recently decided to investigate the cacophony coming from the creatures’ tanks. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024 After eggs are extracted, sperm is mixed with the eggs in a laboratory to create embryos. Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 Heat pump manufacturers Bosch, Carrier, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Lennox, Midea, Rheem, and Trane Technologies have each passed the laboratory phase of the challenge, according to the DOE. IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2024 Over the past two decades, Gracie has pioneered countless Hendrick’s releases and has amassed an array of botanicals, distillates, and experimental liquids, which are housed in a locked cabinet in her laboratory, the Cabinet of Curiosities at the Hendrick’s Gin Palace. Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 That revelation, in turn, suggested that the couple had engaged in several violations of security rules at the laboratory, portions of which are designed for work on the world’s most lethal microbes, including ones that could be used for biological warfare. Ian Austen, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Not all families are comfortable with creating embryos in the laboratory knowing that some of them will not be implanted. Allen Goldberg, STAT, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'laboratory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin laboratorium, from Latin laborare to labor, from labor

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of laboratory was in 1592

Dictionary Entries Near laboratory

Cite this Entry

“Laboratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laboratory. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

laboratory

noun
lab·​o·​ra·​to·​ry ˈlab-(ə-)rə-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce laboratory (audio) -ˌtȯr- How to pronounce laboratory (audio)
plural laboratories
: a place equipped for making scientific experiments and tests

Medical Definition

laboratory

noun
lab·​o·​ra·​to·​ry
ˈlab-(ə-)rə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr-, British usually lə-ˈbär-ə-t(ə-)rē
plural laboratories
often attributive
: a place equipped for experimental study in a science or for testing and analysis

More from Merriam-Webster on laboratory

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