mechanic
Americannoun
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mechanics
plural
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a person who repairs and maintains machinery, motors, etc..
an automobile mechanic.
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a worker who is skilled in the use of tools, machines, equipment, etc.
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Slang. a person skilled in the dishonest handling of cards, dice, or other objects used in games of chance.
noun
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a person skilled in maintaining or operating machinery, motors, etc
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archaic a common labourer
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mechanic
1350–1400; Middle English: mechanical < Latin mēchanicus < Greek mēchanikós, equivalent to mēchan ( ḗ ) machine + -ikos -ic
Explanation
A mechanic is a person who builds or repairs engines or other machines. Mechanics are trained to use special tools and often work in shops or garages. If you are planning to be a mechanic, you have to be prepared to get your hands dirty. The most common type of mechanic works on vehicles like cars, motorcycles, tractors, or airplanes. If your car is making a strange noise, you should probably take it to a mechanic. The oldest meaning of this word was simply "laborer," or "person who works with his hands," from the Greek root mekhanikos, "engineer." The current sense of mechanic came into use along with the popularity of the automobile.
Vocabulary lists containing mechanic
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.
See Examples For:
"If I had known how close I would have come to death on that day, I wouldn't have gone into that restaurant to eat. Only we don't know how close death is," the mechanic says.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The Integratron collection captures the curious life of Van Tassel, an aviation mechanic and test pilot who claimed to have communicated with Solganda, a being from Venus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Retired local mechanic Brahim Gashi, whose brother died from throat cancer, said locals didn't need statistics to know what they were breathing in was hazardous.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Jacob Elordi stars as the lead character, Hig, a former mechanic turned pilot, who spends his days flying over Colorado with his dog Jasper, searching for a better life.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Anna Kirilina, an armament mechanic for the 125th Guards, sums up the huge depth of emotion that the war created for Raskova’s regiments.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
"Advertisers adjust bids based on real-world performance, not descriptions of auction mechanics," Amazon said in its statement.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
But the mechanics appear the same, wherever they show up.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026
"The wavefunction is a fundamental quantity in quantum mechanics, yet it cannot be directly observed or measured," explains Professor Stefan Mathias at the University of Göttingen.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Roberts noted that Ohtani is rested and has adjusted his pitching mechanics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
This singularity makes no sense in quantum mechanics or in general relativity.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
