contraption
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- contraptious adjective
Etymology
Origin of contraption
First recorded in 1815–25; perhaps contr(ivance) + (ad)aption, variant of adaptation
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.
In some cases, Rizk said he has recommended a less painful, low-tech fix: cellphone holders, metal contraptions that have a flexible gooseneck that holds the mobile device up to eye level.
The “personal computers” of the day were hobbyists’ kits, contraptions that arrived in pieces, with output displays that were limited to blinking red lights.
From Los Angeles Times
The machine that X-rayed her breast was more comfortable than the cold hard contraption she remembered.
From Los Angeles Times
Duane also didn’t know that the contraption standing beside the man was an easel, and the square of white sitting upon it was an empty canvas.
From Literature
To give the cradle a little bit of bounce, he tied the ropes to two cultivator springs and hung the whole contraption to the bows inside the covered wagon.
From Literature
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.
