coin-operated

American  

[koin-op-uh-rey-tid] / ˈkɔɪnˌɒp əˌreɪ tɪd /

adjective

Informal.

1. Also coin-op activated by inserting a coin or coins into a slot.

   a coin-operated washing machine.

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noun

1. a coin-operated machine.

2. a place with such machines, especially a self-service laundry.

Etymology

Origin of coin-operated

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

There’s an Irish airline executive named Michael O’Leary who so loves upcharges and cost-cutting that, over the years, he has floated selling standing-room flights, charging overweight passengers more, and installing coin-operated restrooms.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

The “coffee-machine story” was a recounting of the finicky 1970s coin-operated coffee machine in his office that often malfunctioned and dispensed its entire contents from one coin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

But it wasn’t until the 19th century, in Britain, that more recognizable coin-operated forms of vending machines started cropping up to sell postcards, paper, and stamps.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2025

While in line to pay, I watch children take turns on the coin-operated Sandy horse.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024

This message had been embedded in the log-in sequence by James Halliday himself, when he’d first programmed the OASIS, as an homage to the simulation’s direct ancestors, the coin-operated videogames of his youth.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline