contraption
Americannoun
-
contraptions
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of contraption
First recorded in 1815–25; perhaps contr(ivance) + (ad)aption, variant of adaptation
Explanation
A contraption is a device that has a specific purpose and is often overly complicated. If your dad yells, “Get that contraption out of here!” He doesn’t appreciate the Rube Goldberg machine you made out of his golf clubs. The word is English, all right, but how it got here is a mystery. It may be from a combination of contrive and adaptation. Contraptions — also called gadgets or gizmos — are devices people make for various purposes. Often, this word is used when someone isn't quite sure what something is, as in "What's that contraption?" Oh that’s just a dog-walking machine made of a roller skate, bacon, and four paper clips.
Vocabulary lists containing contraption
Chains
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"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
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Fast Food Nation
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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.
See Examples For:
He declines to share details but the contraption will make square pan-style pies and that the machine is inspired by the way 3D printers work.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Pringles, Burger King all went with ultra-minimal redesigns, as if anyone would see Pringles as a forward-thinking tech company and not the perfect contraption to get sour cream–and–onion dust all over your hands.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
ROMONT, Switzerland—Willy Wonka would have marveled at one of the machines at a manufacturing plant here—a contraption that injects flavors into coffee capsules via a set of whirring tubes labeled “hazelnut,” “caramel,” and “blueberry cheesecake.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
It was initially greeted with skepticism, but the potential of the cool contraption quickly drew attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
“An’ of course the dogs can hike along all day with that contraption behind them,” affirmed a second of the men.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
Unlike Look Mum No Computer, who is best known for a YouTube channel where he builds eccentric contraptions, Dara is a major pop star in her home country.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
Sensors on the 12-foot metal contraptions measure wind speed, direction, temperature, humidity and pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
Crowds hoot and cheer as the contraptions float into the darkening sky, while referees judge the magnificence of their aerial explosions.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2025
In an era of smartphones, fitness tracking watches and always-listening speakers, there’s no shortage of contraptions to wake us up via an assortment of sounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2024
Sarai was reeling with visions of explosions and contraptions and impossibly tall towers—and girls climbing impossibly tall towers—and magnets and saws and bridges and flasks of miraculous chemicals and...and...and flying machines.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
