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
Provincial governments increasingly have to turn to private, more expensive, laboratories to fill their stocks.
—
Anita Pouchard Serra & Natalie Alcoba, The Dial, 13 Mar. 2025
At each of the facilities, experienced volunteer health care professionals provide services in a caring environment and partner with laboratories, diagnostic centers, hospitals and treatment centers to connect patients with low-cost options for those additional types of services.
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Fortune reports that an independent laboratory, Valisure, did some digging and testing and found that many popular benzoyl peroxide products had some benzene contamination.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2025
During laboratory experiments, scientists watched male blue-ringed octopuses inject a dose of TTX into their mate’s aorta on the back of her head.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
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Anita Pouchard Serra & Natalie Alcoba, The Dial, 13 Mar. 2025
At each of the facilities, experienced volunteer health care professionals provide services in a caring environment and partner with laboratories, diagnostic centers, hospitals and treatment centers to connect patients with low-cost options for those additional types of services.
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Fortune reports that an independent laboratory, Valisure, did some digging and testing and found that many popular benzoyl peroxide products had some benzene contamination.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2025
During laboratory experiments, scientists watched male blue-ringed octopuses inject a dose of TTX into their mate’s aorta on the back of her head.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 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 16 Mar. 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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