vending machine

American  

noun

• vending machines
  plural

1. a coin-operated machine for selling small articles, beverages, etc.

---

vending machine British  

noun

1. Also called: automat.  a machine that automatically dispenses consumer goods such as cigarettes, food, or petrol, when money is inserted

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• vending machines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vending machine

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vending machine

One reader uses an insulated lunch bag with reusable ice packs, along with sodas, so she doesn’t have to pay vending machine prices.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

The company that owns the vending machine, iJooz, says it replaced all 500 straws in the machine's dispenser after the alleged incident.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

"The strength of the vending machine business has been to sell at list prices," a spokeswoman for Pokka Sapporo told AFP.

From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026

With Anthropic, another major AI startup, you will stress-test the AI “agent” idea in the most journalistically responsible way possible: by putting a bot-powered vending machine in a newsroom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

I thought about the boy on the roof and the crow named Clarence and the vending machine stocked full of wondrous things.

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo

Related Words

• vendor