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launder

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To disguise the source of by different means.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

lawnder

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈlɔndɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. To wash; to wash, and to smooth with a flatiron or mangle; to wash and iron.

  2. money

    To disguise the source of (ill-gotten wealth) by various means.

noun

  1. mining

    A trough used by miners to receive powdered ore from the box where it is beaten, or for carrying water to the stamps, or other apparatus for comminuting (sorting) the ore.

  2. A trough or channel carrying water to the wheel of a watermill.

  3. A gutter (for rainwater).

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To wash; to wash, and to smooth with a flatiron or mangle; to wash and iron.

Used this way, launder is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Convert

launder moneylaunder funds

Other combinations

frank launderlaunder druglaunder clothes

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • launderingnounInflected form

    Washing clothes and bed linens.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • money launderingnounCompound term

    Concealing the source of illegally gotten money.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • laundrynounRelated term

    Garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: trough used by miners to receive powdered ore from the box where it is beaten

wash

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.