machinate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
He still kept a greedy eye on the Orange Free State, and machinated for the union of the two States into a gigantic whole.
From South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 1 (of 6) From the Foundation of Cape Colony to the Boer Ultimatum of 9th Oct. 1899 by Creswicke, Louis
The Armadillos were as shadows of a dark, machinated dream.
From Oberheim (Voices) by Leadem, Christopher
"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
Julia, darkly machinating, was counting on waylaying him again, and yet again.
From The Tower of Oblivion by Onions, Oliver [pseud.]
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.
