vending machine
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of vending machine
First recorded in 1905–10
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.
A litter picking group has introduced a second reverse vending machine to the county that will offer rewards to people who recycle their cans and bottles.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Fujairah is like a "huge vending machine" for ships, Stanley added.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
He used Find My to locate the phone — at a vending machine for used electronics miles away, close to an ICE detention center.
From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026
"That largely explains the success of these machines," said Bottos, who describes them as "somewhere between a vending machine, a game of chance and a game of skill".
From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025
I saw the vending machine as if it were right in front of me.
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
