machine

[ muh-sheen ]

/ məˈʃin /

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See synonyms for: machine / machined / machining on Thesaurus.com

noun

an apparatus consisting of interrelated parts with separate functions, used in the performance of some kind of work: a sewing machine.

a mechanical apparatus or contrivance; mechanism.

Mechanics.

a device that transmits or modifies force or motion.
Also called sim·ple ma·chine . any of six or more elementary mechanisms, as the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, screw, wedge, and inclined plane.
Also called com·plex ma·chine . a combination of simple machines.

Older Use.

an automobile or airplane.
a typewriter.

a bicycle or motorcycle.

a vending machine: a cigarette machine.

any complex agency or operating system: the machine of government.

an organized group of persons that conducts or controls the activities of a political party or organization: He heads the Democratic machine in our city.

a person or thing that acts in a mechanical or automatic manner: Routine work had turned her into a machine.

any of various contrivances, especially those formerly used in the theater, for producing stage effects: The ancient Greeks used a theatrical machine to lower actors onto the stage.

some agency, personage, incident or other feature introduced for effect into a literary composition.

verb (used with object), ma·chined, ma·chin·ing.

to make, prepare, or finish with a machine or with machine tools.

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Origin of machine

First recorded in 1540–50; from French, from Latin māchina, from Doric Greek māchanā́ “pulley,” akin to mâchos “contrivance”; cf. mechanic

OTHER WORDS FROM machine

ma·chine·less, adjectivean·ti·ma·chine, adjectiveun·ma·chined, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use machine in a sentence

The billionaire philanthropist tastes the product of a machine that processes human sewage into drinking water and electricity.
Bill Gates Drinks Sewer Water|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were the machine gun bullets coming from the ambush when my company got hit.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“If BMW is ‘the ultimate driving machine,’ your Anthem is the ultimate differentiator,” writes Hogshead.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You?|Lizzie Crocker|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The resulting Wool Runners were comfortable, eco-friendly, machine-washable, and super cute—and sold out almost immediately.
The Coolest Fashion Innovations of 2014|Raquel Laneri|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was a complex task they were asked to do, and every cultural and experiential advantage would be required.
Why Did We Panic After 9/11 and Ignore All We Knew About Responding to Security Threats?|Deborah Pearlstein|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The controlling leaders being out of gear the machine did not run smoothly: there was nothing but friction and tension.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
A little black girl sat on the floor, and with her hands worked the treadle of the machine.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The sewing-machine made a resounding clatter in the room; it was of a ponderous, by-gone make.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The machine penetrated everywhere, thrusting aside with its gigantic arm the feeble efforts of handicraft.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
"I have a letter somewhere," looking in the machine drawer and finding the letter in the bottom of the workbasket.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for machine

machine

/ (məˈʃiːn) /

noun

an assembly of interconnected components arranged to transmit or modify force in order to perform useful work

Also called: simple machine a device for altering the magnitude or direction of a force, esp a lever, screw, wedge, or pulley

a mechanically operated device or means of transport, such as a car, aircraft, etc

any mechanical or electrical device that automatically performs tasks or assists in performing tasks

(modifier) denoting a firearm that is fully automatic as distinguished from semiautomatic
(in combination)machine pistol; machine gun

any intricate structure or agencythe war machine

a mechanically efficient, rigid, or obedient person

an organized body of people that controls activities, policies, etc

(esp in the classical theatre) a device such as a pulley to provide spectacular entrances and exits for supernatural characters

an event, etc, introduced into a literary work for special effect

verb

(tr) to shape, cut, or remove (excess material) from (a workpiece) using a machine tool

to use a machine to carry out a process on (something)

Derived forms of machine

machinable or machineable, adjectivemachinability, nounmachineless, adjectivemachine-like, adjective

Word Origin for machine

C16: via French from Latin māchina machine, engine, from Doric Greek makhana pulley; related to makhos device, contrivance

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

Scientific definitions for machine

machine

[ mə-shēn′ ]

A device that applies force, changes the direction of a force, or changes the strength of a force, in order to perform a task, generally involving work done on a load. Machines are often designed to yield a high mechanical advantage to reduce the effort needed to do that work.♦ A simple machine is a wheel, a lever, or an inclined plane. All other machines can be built using combinations of these simple machines; for example, a drill uses a combination of gears (wheels) to drive helical inclined planes (the drill-bit) to split a material and carve a hole in it.

machine

Origin of machine

OTHER WORDS FROM machine

Words related to machine

How to use machine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for machine

Derived forms of machine

Word Origin for machine

Scientific definitions for machine