ironing

ironing — noun

1. the household chore of pressing fabric items such as shirts, trousers, and bedsh

1.nounA2
Definition

the household chore of pressing fabric items such as shirts, trousers, and bedsheets with a hot tool to remove creases and make them look tidy.

Example

Dahlia does the ironing every Sunday evening while listening to music.

collocation: do the ironing

The hotel laundry service includes washing, drying, and ironing of guest clothes.

Common collocations
  • do the ironing
  • finish the ironing
  • hate / love ironing
  • the weekly ironing
Synonyms
  • pressing

    more formal; often used in commercial laundry contexts rather than household chores

  • smoothing

    broader meaning — can refer to removing wrinkles by any method, not just with an iron

Grammar Patterns

do + the + ironing

the + ironing + singular verb

Usage Note

Typically paired with the verb 'do' — do the ironing — as the standard way to refer to this chore. Never used in plural form.

Common Mistakes

I need to finish the ironings before dinner.
I need to finish the ironing before dinner.
The noun 'ironing' meaning the task is uncountable and never takes a plural -s.

2. fabric items such as clothes and household linen that still need to be pressed w

2.nounA2
Definition

fabric items such as clothes and household linen that still need to be pressed with a hot iron, or that have already been pressed and smoothed.

Example

Shanti put the clean ironing on the bed and began folding the shirts.

adjective modifier: clean ironing

A huge basket of ironing waited for Mateo near the washing machine.

quantifier: a basket of ironing

Common collocations
  • a basket/pile/load of ironing
  • clean ironing
  • the day's ironing
  • sort the ironing
Synonyms
  • laundry

    broader — includes washing and drying, not only ironing; also refers to the clothes themselves

Grammar Patterns

quantifier + of + ironing

the + ironing + singular verb

Usage Note

Refers to a collection of fabric items (always uncountable). Often preceded by a quantifier such as 'a pile of', 'a basket of', or 'a load of'. Context determines whether the items are waiting to be ironed or have already been ironed.

Common Mistakes

The ironings are still in the basket.
The ironing is still in the basket.
When referring to a collection of clothes, 'ironing' remains uncountable and takes a singular verb.

Word family

  • iron
    nounA1
  • iron
    verbA2
  • ironed
    adjectiveB1
  • ironing board
    nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While ironing specifically involves a heated flatiron to smooth clothes by direct pressure, pressing is a broader term that includes professional dry-cleaning techniques using specialised machines rather than a household iron. Steaming uses hot vapour instead of direct heat contact — it is gentler on delicate fabrics but less effective at creating sharp creases on items like dress shirts. Laundering covers the entire process of washing, drying, and ironing, not just the pressing stage. For example, a cotton shirt might be laundered (washed and dried), then steamed to remove light wrinkles during travel, or properly ironed for crisp, flat results. In everyday conversation, people say 'do the ironing' at home but might refer to 'pressing services' at a dry cleaner.

pressingsteaminglaundering

Common collocations

Nouns

  • ironing board
  • ironing basket

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'ironing' comes from the Old English word 'īren', which referred to the metal. By the 1600s, people heated metal flatirons on stoves to press clothes, and the verb 'to iron' appeared around the 1700s. The noun 'ironing' describing the household task itself emerged in the 1800s as domestic chores became more specialised and labelled.