apparatus

[ ap-uh-rat-uhs, -rey-tuhs ]

/ ˌæp əˈræt əs, -ˈreɪ təs /

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noun, plural ap·pa·rat·us, ap·pa·rat·us·es.

a group or combination of instruments, machinery, tools, materials, etc., having a particular function or intended for a specific use: Our town has excellent fire-fighting apparatus.

any complex instrument or mechanism for a particular purpose.

any system or systematic organization of activities, functions, processes, etc., directed toward a specific goal: the apparatus of government; espionage apparatus.

Physiology. a group of structurally different organs working together in the performance of a particular function: the digestive apparatus.

OTHER WORDS FOR apparatus

2 machine, appliance, device, contraption, contrivance.

See synonyms for apparatus on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of apparatus

1620–30; <Latin apparātus equipment, originally the act of equipping, preparation, equivalent to apparā(re) to prepare (ap-ap-¹ + parāre;see prepare) + -tus suffix of v. action

Words nearby apparatus

appam, appanage, appar., apparat, apparatchik, apparatus, apparatus criticus, apparel, apparent, apparent candlepower, apparentement

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apparatus in a sentence

The scenarios laid out by the Transition Integrity Project and Foley shouldn’t be taken as definite outcomes, but they do make clear that the rickety apparatus governing our electoral process could collapse if key actors decide to push against it.
What If Trump Loses And Won’t Leave?|Geoffrey Skelley (geoffrey.skelley@abc.com)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The increase in Hong Kong’s oppressive policies under the new national security law has created fear that the universal testing scheme is just another apparatus of state control.
Hong Kong’s citywide COVID-19 testing has become a barometer of public trust|eamonbarrett|September 9, 2020|Fortune
Endorsing fewer candidates is part of a longer-term approach as the group’s political apparatus has grown more sophisticated.
Progressive Groups Are Getting More Selective In Targeting Incumbents. Is It Working?|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 21, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Studies have shown that it’s easy to identify riders using this information, providing the city government with a massive surveillance apparatus.
Rider surveillance poses threat to LGBTQ privacy|Christopher Wood|August 7, 2020|Washington Blade

He set up the apparatus in his woodshop and filmed himself coughing without and with a mask.
Why scientists say wearing masks shouldn’t be controversial|Tina Hesman Saey|June 26, 2020|Science News
The way academics still publish papers on whether you possess the necessary mental apparatus to function in a civil democracy.
Men Without a Country: Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, My Father and Me|Arthur Chu|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After failing to secure the nomination, he eventually suspended his campaign—but he did not suspend his political apparatus.
Rand Paul’s Daddy Issues|Olivia Nuzzi|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But providing an objective picture is not what the Kremlin and its media apparatus is known for.
Why Putin Let MH17 Get Shot Down|James Miller|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Safety officials believe it snapped, sending both acrobats and apparatus hurtling 25 to 40 feet to the floor.
Thrills and Too Many Spills: The Dangers of the Circus|Marina Watts|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also opted to use “his eyes” as his only light measuring apparatus, something Nel quickly dismissed as “subjective.”
Disastrous Turn By Star Witness For Pistorius Defense|Kelly Berold|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The sepoys have come in from Meerut,” he announced with the slow tick of the earliest form of apparatus.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
While the test is somewhat tedious, all the manipulations are simple and require no apparatus but flasks, test-tubes, and funnels.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Hydrogen sulphid is easily prepared in the simple apparatus shown in Fig. 30.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The endless miles of railways, the vast apparatus of the factories, the soaring structures of the cities bear easy witness to it.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
As all parts of this apparatus are of metal changes in humidity or temperature do not affect its regulation.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for apparatus

apparatus

/ (ˌæpəˈreɪtəs, -ˈrɑːtəs, ˈæpəˌreɪtəs) /

noun plural -ratus or -ratuses

a collection of instruments, machines, tools, parts, or other equipment used for a particular purpose

a machine having a specific functionbreathing apparatus

the means by which something operates; organizationthe apparatus of government

anatomy any group of organs having a specific function

Word Origin for apparatus

C17: from Latin, from apparāre to make ready

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

apparatus

OTHER WORDS FOR apparatus

Origin of apparatus

Words nearby apparatus

Words related to apparatus

How to use apparatus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for apparatus

Word Origin for apparatus