Factory Definition: Meaning, Usage, and Examples

Meaning 1：manufacturing plant (factory)

factory 🔊

/ˈfæk.tər.i/

A building where things are made, often using machines, like cars, toys, or clothes.

Factory interior with assembly line and robotic arms

manufacturing plant 🔊

➕

/ˌmæn.jəˈfæk.tʃər.ɪŋ plænt/

A large building or group of buildings where goods are produced, typically using machinery and assembly lines.

📁 Category：Buildings & Places 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'factorium' (workshop) from 'facere' (to make) + '-ory' (place for).

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'fact' (making) + 'ory' (place) → a place where facts (products) are made.

📖 Example

The new factory in our town makes solar panels and provides many jobs for local people. 🔊 The new factory in our town makes solar panels and provides many jobs for local people.

🔗 Collocations

factory worker – a person employed in a factory

factory floor – the area in a factory where production takes place

factory outlet – a store selling goods directly from the factory at reduced prices

🔄 Synonyms

plant (n.) – a place where an industrial or manufacturing process takes place

mill (n.) – a building equipped with machinery for grinding grain or processing materials

workshop (n.) – a room or building where goods are made or repaired by hand or with machinery

🚫 Antonyms

cottage industry (n.) – small-scale production of goods carried out in a home or small workshop

farm (n.) – an area of land used for growing crops or raising animals, not industrial production

🌱 Derivatives

factory-made (adj.) – manufactured in a factory rather than by hand

factory farming (n.) – intensive production of livestock using industrial methods

📖 Cultural Story

Factory derives from Latin 'factorium'. The Industrial Revolution made factories iconic centers of mass production, transforming global economies.