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
Don Pettit, who arrived Sept. 11, 2024 for his third-ever stint at the International Space Station, is expected to depart April 19 with two cosmonauts on the same Soyuz space capsule that transported them to the orbital laboratory.
—
Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Since 2021, Perseverance has been exploring Mars' Jezero Crater, using its mobile laboratory to support the work of scientists around the world.
—Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 18 Apr. 2025
The remains were exhumed in September 2023 and transferred to the DPAA laboratory.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
The sample was then sent to the state forensic laboratory, police said.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laboratory
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Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Since 2021, Perseverance has been exploring Mars' Jezero Crater, using its mobile laboratory to support the work of scientists around the world.
—Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 18 Apr. 2025
The remains were exhumed in September 2023 and transferred to the DPAA laboratory.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
The sample was then sent to the state forensic laboratory, police said.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 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 21 Apr. 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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