LAUNDER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does launder mean? 

• LAUNDER (verb)
  The verb LAUNDER has 2 senses:

1. cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water

2. convert illegally obtained funds into legal ones

  Familiarity information: LAUNDER used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LAUNDER (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they launder    ... he / she / it launders   
Past simple: laundered   
Past participle: laundered   
-ing form: laundering   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

launder; wash

Context example:

Wash the towels, please!

Hypernyms (to "launder" is one way to...):

clean; make clean (make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from)

Verb group:

rinse; wash (clean with some chemical process)

wash (be capable of being washed)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "launder"):

water-wash (wash with water)

wash out (wash free from unwanted substances, such as dirt)

powerwash; pressure-wash (wash before painting to remove old paint and mildew)

suds (wash in suds)

rinse; rinse off (wash off soap or remaining dirt)

cradle (wash in a cradle)

stone-wash; stonewash (wash with stones to achieve a worn appearance)

hand-wash; handwash (wash or launder by hand instead of with a machine)

machine-wash; machine wash (wash by machine)

acid-wash (wash with acid so as to achieve a bleached look)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They launder the cape

Derivation:

laundry (workplace where clothes are washed and ironed)

laundry (garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Convert illegally obtained funds into legal ones

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "launder" is one way to...):

change; commute; convert; exchange (exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

"I don't care!" cried Daisy and began to clog on the brick fireplace. Then she remembered the heat and sat down guiltily on the couch just as a freshly laundered nurse leading a little girl came into the room.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)