machinery
Americannoun
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an assemblage of machines or mechanical apparatuses.
the machinery of a factory.
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the parts of a machine, collectively.
the machinery of a watch.
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a group of people or a system by which action is maintained or by which some result is obtained.
the machinery of government.
- Synonyms:
- setup, structure, organization
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a group of contrivances for producing stage effects.
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the group or aggregate of literary machines, especially those of supernatural agency epic machinery in an epic poem.
noun
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machines, machine parts, or machine systems collectively
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a particular machine system or set of machines
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a system similar to a machine
the machinery of government
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literary devices used for effect in epic poetry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of machinery
Explanation
Machinery refers to specific machines or machines in general. A farmer has lots of farm machinery, like tractors and plows. Machinery is also the inner workings of something — the machinery of a society is how a society works. You can refer to a group of machines as machinery, such as the machinery in a factory or the machinery in a laboratory. It’s also the inner workings of a particular machine, like the machinery that keeps your computer running. Machinery has to do with how something works or functions. The government, media, business, and family are all part of the machinery of society. The word machinery originally referred to the devices used for creating stage effects in the theater.
Vocabulary lists containing machinery
Engineering - Introductory
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Mechanical Engineering
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Engineering - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Chinese exports surged by almost a fifth last month, official data showed Tuesday, as shipments of tech components and machinery helped the world's second-largest economy weather pressure from the Middle East war.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
There’s not a Knick who hasn’t given up something—the ball, minutes, points—to make the machinery hum.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
After a dangerously dense forest is cleared out with hands and heavy machinery, it’s much safer to return a few years later with prescribed fire instead, which is much cheaper.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
In May, construction machinery manufacturer JCB announced it would be attempting to set a new world land speed record with a car powered by hydrogen.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Ahead of them was the hum of machinery.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
