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
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.
Step closer and you hear the contraption appearing to breathe, a tinkling sound like wind chimes emanating from the cooling mechanism that keeps its innards colder than outer space.
From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025
The combined contraption will fit in most overhead compartments, but the compact size requires some sacrifices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
He’s been drilling holes in the concrete walls with the large red contraption, which comes with a small attached vacuum that sucks up concrete dust as it penetrates the wall.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2025
Going all out, I once tried to go to a fancy-dress party as a Swan Vesta matchbox, wearing an elaborate cardboard contraption painted with a lot of time and effort.
From Slate • Jul. 21, 2025
Alice and I sat on the bank leisurely watching as the contraption went up and down, up and down, turning acorns into flour.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
