machinate

American  

[mak-uh-neyt] / ˈmæk əˌneɪt /

verb (used with or without object)

machinated, machinating

1. to contrive or plot, especially artfully or with evil purpose.

   to machinate the overthrow of the government.

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machinate British  

/ ˈmæʃ-, ˈmækɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. (usually tr) to contrive, plan, or devise (schemes, plots, etc)

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Other Word Forms

• machinator
  noun
• unmachinated
  adjective
• unmachinating
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of machinate

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin māchinātus, past participle of māchinārī “to invent, contrive, devise artfully”; see origin at machine, -ate ¹

Explanation

To machinate is to scheme or plan something. You might, for example, machinate a way to defeat the more popular candidate in an election for school president. You can use the verb machinate in two ways: to arrange or plan in a carefully detailed way, or to plot in an equally careful but somewhat sneaky or underhanded way. While a teacher might machinate to best organize and inspire her class, a movie villain also machinates in order to defeat the hero. Both meanings come from the same root, the noun machination, "plotting or intrigue," which is ultimately rooted in the Latin machina, "device or machine."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

machinate machinated machinating

Ms. Johansson defended herself by arguing that the character “has a human brain in an entirely machinate body,” and said, “I would never attempt to play a person of a different race, obviously.”

From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2017

It urges those who work in it to agglutinate and machinate.

From Economist ● Oct. 27, 2016

But that leaves plenty of legislative detail, if the Lib Dems machinate wisely, for the two parties to find common cause over.

From Economist ● Jun. 11, 2015

And whatever the 20th century gods do, they don't machinate.

From Time Magazine Archive

Match-making mas may machinate, Manoeuvring misses me misween; Mere money may make many mate, My magic motto's—'Madeline!'

From English as She is Wrote Showing Curious Ways in which the English Language may be made to Convey Ideas or obscure them. by Anonymous

"It was more a signal of allowance and encouragement than something completely machinated by an image maker."

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2017

While the image was almost certainly stage-managed, "it wasn't completely machinated or fabricated," says Mr Madden, who is with the US-Korea Institute at John Hopkins University.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2017

His influence over Wilson was early supplanted by Colonel House, who pulled strings, machinated quietly, buzzed around in one department after the other.

From Time Magazine Archive

The angel said to Joseph, "They are dead who machinated against the child's life."

From The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church Containing the Sermones Catholici, or Homilies of ?lfric, in the Original Anglo-Saxon, with an English Version. Volume I. by Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham

Kitty was still the stalking-horse behind which, for whatever reasons, he machinated.

From The Story of Louie by Onions, Oliver [pseud.]

"I was not going to allow a day of any further machinating and web-weaving around me because I've had enough," she declared, before telling Rachel in front of everyone: "I'm onto you."

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026

Do we really want to incentivize vigilantes like YouTube copycat Skeet Hansen, seen in the documentary machinating and uploading his own stakeouts, pitiful farces of justice with the catchphrase “You’ve just been Skeeted”?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025

But my father, meanwhile, I didn’t know this at the time, was busy machinating on behalf of the United States to keep the oil flowing to the West.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2020

But hustlers have a nasty side. ’s characters are striving and machinating and tortured, and yet so beloved by Russell they are never in any real danger.

From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2014

But Jane was enough to drive a machinating husband to despair.

From Cinderella Jane by Cooke, Marjorie Benton