clockwork

American  

[klok-wurk] / ˈklɒkˌwɜrk /

noun

• clockworks
  plural

1. the mechanism of a clock.

2. any mechanism similar to that of a clock.

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idioms

1. like clockwork, with perfect regularity or precision.

   The launching of the spacecraft went off like clockwork.

clockwork British  

/ ˈklɒkˌwɜːk /

noun

1. the mechanism of a clock

2. any similar mechanism, as in a wind-up toy

3. with complete regularity and precision

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• clockworks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of clockwork

First recorded in 1620–30; clock ¹ + work

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clockwork clockworks

Your attorney should coordinate your will, beneficiary designations, charitable gifts and executor stipulations so they all work like clockwork.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

It’s just like clockwork, if I have any solids during the day of the show, around song seven, I start burping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Only a problem now could cost him a victory and the car ran like clockwork to the end for Ferrari's first victory since Mexico 2024.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

I’m not sure what would provoke anyone to tune in, but like clockwork, the viewership billowed to the thousands.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026

In 1951, I finished my trade school courses, and like clockwork, even though I wasn't a US citizen, my US Army draft notice arrived in the mail.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

In these clocks, atoms are held in place by laser beams arranged in a lattice and serve as extremely precise "clockworks."

From Science Daily ● Jan. 26, 2026

When the Victorian-era clockworks began to tick in 1859, it was the largest, most accurate four-sided striking timepiece in the world.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2022

In the meantime, craftsmen from Smith Bell and Clock Service removed the clockworks, including the clock’s four faces and dials and are storing them while the case is restored.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 5, 2020

The rapid-fire labor-intensiveness of Mr. Marclay’s effort also emphasizes the laborious, collaborative nature of films — that they are themselves elaborate clockworks of actors, directors, cinematographers, set and costume designers and makeup artists.

From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2011

There was a small workbench at one end, and it was covered in little mechanical creatures made out of clockworks, and magic tricks of all shapes and sizes, which Hugo had made himself.

From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

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