factory
[noun]
Synonyms: works, mill, plant

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English Thesaurus: factory, plant, facility, works, a steelworks/ironworks/brickworks/a chemical/cement works/a printing works, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

fac‧to‧ry S2 W2 /ˈfæktəri/ noun (plural factories) [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: factoria, from Latin factor; ⇒ factor¹]
a building or group of buildings in which goods are produced in large quantities, using machines:
a car factory
factory workers

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

factory
noun
ADJ. large | small | modern | disused | aircraft, car, chemical, clothing, munitions, etc.
VERB + FACTORY open, set up capital to set up a ceramics factory
close (down), shut (down) They had to close the factory down in the recession.
manage, run
FACTORY + VERB make sth, produce sth | open | close (down), shut (down) The factory closed down ten years ago.
FACTORY + NOUN manager, owner, worker | job, production, work | buildings | closure
PREP. at/in ~ He works in a shoe factory.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

factory

a car/textile/shoe etc factory
There is a large car factory where many of the local people work.
a factory worker
The factory workers are threatening to go on strike.
a factory owner
The factory owner placed a large order for some new equipment.
a factory manager
He held the position of factory manager.
a factory inspector (=an official whose job is to check that laws or rules related to factories are being obeyed)
Factory inspectors reported that safety precautions had been ignored.
the factory gates (=the entrance to a factory)
A crowd of protesters had gathered outside the factory gates.
open a factory
The company has just opened a new factory in Swindon.
close/shut (down) a factory
The factory was closed down in 2006.
work in a factory
Donna works in a shoe factory.
a factory produces/makes something
The factory produces an incredible 100 cars per hour.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

factory
noun
1.
BAD: The wheat is collected and sent to the flour factory.
GOOD: The wheat is collected and sent to the flour mill.
BAD: The brick factory was closed down during the recession.
GOOD: The brick works was closed down during the recession.
BAD: Just outside the town there is a large chemical factory.
GOOD: Just outside the town there is a large chemical plant.

Usage Note:
COMPANY · FACTORY · INDUSTRY · MILL · PLANT · WORKS
Company an organization that makes or sells goods or that sells services: ‘My father works for an insurance company.’ ‘IBM is one of the biggest companies in the electronics industry.’
Factory a place where goods such as furniture, carpets, curtains, clothes, plates, toys, bicycles, sports equipments, drinks and packaged food are produced: ‘The company’s UK factory produces 500 golf trolleys a week.’
Industry (1) all the people, factories, companies etc involved in a major area of production: ‘the steel industry’, the clothing industry’
(2) all industries considered together as a single thing: ‘Industry has developed rapidly over the years at the expense of agriculture.’
Mill (1) a place where a particular type of material is made: ‘a cotton mill’, ‘a textile mill’, a paper mill’ (2) a place where flour is made from grain: ‘a flour mill’
Plant a factory or building where vehicles, engines, weapons, heavy machine, drugs or industrial chemicals are produced, where chemical processes are carried out, or where power is generated:‘Vauxhall-Opel’s UK car plants’, ‘Honda’s new engine plant at Microconcord, Swindon’, ‘a sewage plant’, ‘a wood treatment plant’. ‘ICI’s £100m plant’, ‘the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria’
Works an industrial building where materials such as cement, steel, and bricks are produced, or where industrial processes are carried out: ‘The drop in car and van sales has led to redundancies in the country’s steel works.’

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2.
BAD: They intend to build either a sports centre or a factory of shoes.
GOOD: They intend to build either a sports centre or a shoe factory.

Usage Note:
Put factory after the thing that is produced: 'a bottle factory', 'a clothing factory'.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

factory a building or group of buildings in which goods are produced in large quantities, using machines:
She works in a chocolate factory.
a clothing factory
plant a large factory where cars, chemicals, or energy is produced:
Local residents are protesting about the new nuclear power plant.
a car plant
a nuclear power plant
facility a factory. Facility is often used instead of factory in business English:
The new production facility is one of the most up-to-date in the area.
works used in the following compounds to describe a factory that produces a particular thing: a steelworks/ironworks/brickworks/a chemical/cement works/a printing works
mill a factory that produces paper, cotton, or cloth:
a paper mill
The textile mill has been converted into luxury flats.
shipyard a place where ships are built or repaired:
The vessel was built in the Kobe shipyard.
foundry a factory where metal is made into things using moulds:
Mandela’s statue was cast here in a local foundry.
sweatshop disapproving a small factory where people work hard in bad conditions for very little money:
The company was fined for selling goods produced in sweatshops.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲