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Synonyms

vending machine

American  

noun

  1. a coin-operated machine for selling small articles, beverages, etc.

vending machine British  

noun

  1. Also called: automat.  a machine that automatically dispenses consumer goods such as cigarettes, food, or petrol, when money is inserted

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Fujairah is like a "huge vending machine" for ships, Stanley added.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

The joke on social media was that Salah collects player of the match awards like you would get them out of a vending machine.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 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

She bought three packs of peanut M&Ms from a vending machine and sat on top of her bags.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

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.