lost motion
Americannoun
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motion of a machine or mechanism, especially a reciprocating one, during which no useful work is performed.
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motion between parts in an assembly due to manufacturing tolerances, adjustments, slip, or wear.
Etymology
Origin of lost motion
First recorded in 1875–80
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.
It has over 15,000 parts, but so carefully is it made that lost motion is reduced practically to zero.
From Scientific American ● Jan. 14, 2013
Ambidextrous, he has a knack of changing the ball from one hand to another at the last second and getting it in the clear without a bit of lost motion.
From Time Magazine Archive
The small amount of lost motion between the Evener Plates and the cone belt, and the free movement of the belt shipper rod, which runs on rollers, make the action positive and steady.
From Illustrated Catalogue of Cotton Machinery by Company, Howard & Bullough American Machine
Suppose, for example, that there were .005-inch lost motion at each of three bearing points, the total lost motion would be .015-inch or sufficient to produce noisy action of the valve mechanism.
From Aviation Engines Design?Construction?Operation and Repair by Pag?, Victor Wilfred
This will take up any lost motion in the feeding mechanism, after which the carriage may, if there are devices for the purpose, be locked to the lathe bed so as to prevent its moving.
From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua
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.
