clockwork

American  

[klok-wurk] / ˈklɒkˌwɜrk /

noun

• clockworks
  plural

1. the mechanism of a clock.

2. any mechanism similar to that of a clock.

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idioms

1. like clockwork, with perfect regularity or precision.

   The launching of the spacecraft went off like clockwork.

clockwork British  

/ ˈklɒkˌwɜːk /

noun

1. the mechanism of a clock

2. any similar mechanism, as in a wind-up toy

3. with complete regularity and precision

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• clockworks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of clockwork

First recorded in 1620–30; clock ¹ + work

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clockwork clockworks

Tripling volumes, hitting annual release dates like clockwork, minimizing risky capital investments and returning more than $1 trillion to shareholders through dividends and buybacks helped Cook multiply Apple’s valuation 13 times during his tenure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

Your attorney should coordinate your will, beneficiary designations, charitable gifts and executor stipulations so they all work like clockwork.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

The busy operation has to run like clockwork, as about 200 lorries will arrive to collect products every day.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

I’m not sure what would provoke anyone to tune in, but like clockwork, the viewership billowed to the thousands.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026

Compared to the clockwork finesse and gentle charm of Corelli, Vivaldi introduced a sense of drama and virtuosity that took his contemporaries’ breath away.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

In these clocks, atoms are held in place by laser beams arranged in a lattice and serve as extremely precise "clockworks."

From Science Daily ● Jan. 26, 2026

When the Victorian-era clockworks began to tick in 1859, it was the largest, most accurate four-sided striking timepiece in the world.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2022

In the meantime, craftsmen from Smith Bell and Clock Service removed the clockworks, including the clock’s four faces and dials and are storing them while the case is restored.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 5, 2020

The rapid-fire labor-intensiveness of Mr. Marclay’s effort also emphasizes the laborious, collaborative nature of films — that they are themselves elaborate clockworks of actors, directors, cinematographers, set and costume designers and makeup artists.

From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2011

There was a small workbench at one end, and it was covered in little mechanical creatures made out of clockworks, and magic tricks of all shapes and sizes, which Hugo had made himself.

From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

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