machine

American  

[muh-sheen] / məˈʃin /

noun

• machines
  plural

1. an apparatus consisting of interrelated parts with separate functions, used in the performance of some kind of work.

   a sewing machine.

2. a mechanical apparatus or contrivance; mechanism.

3. Mechanics.

   1. a device that transmits or modifies force or motion.

   2. Also called simple machine. any of six or more elementary mechanisms, as the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, screw, wedge, and inclined plane.

   3. Also called complex machine. a combination of simple machines.

4. Older Use.

   1. an automobile or airplane.

   2. a typewriter.

5. a bicycle or motorcycle.

6. a vending machine.

   a cigarette machine.

7. any complex agency or operating system.

   the machine of government.

8. an organized group of persons that conducts or controls the activities of a political party or organization.

   He heads the Democratic machine in our city.

9. a person or thing that acts in a mechanical or automatic manner.

   Routine work had turned her into a machine.

10. any of various contrivances, especially those formerly used in the theater, for producing stage effects.

    The ancient Greeks used a theatrical machine to lower actors onto the stage.

11. some agency, personage, incident or other feature introduced for effect into a literary composition.

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verb (used with object)

• machines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• machined,
  past participle,  past
• machining
  present participle

1. to make, prepare, or finish with a machine or with machine tools.

machine British  

/ məˈʃiːn /

noun

1. an assembly of interconnected components arranged to transmit or modify force in order to perform useful work

2. Also called: simple machine. a device for altering the magnitude or direction of a force, esp a lever, screw, wedge, or pulley

3. a mechanically operated device or means of transport, such as a car, aircraft, etc

4. any mechanical or electrical device that automatically performs tasks or assists in performing tasks

5. 1. (modifier) denoting a firearm that is fully automatic as distinguished from semiautomatic

   2. ( in combination )

      machine pistol

      machine gun

6. any intricate structure or agency

   the war machine

7. a mechanically efficient, rigid, or obedient person

8. an organized body of people that controls activities, policies, etc

9. (esp in the classical theatre) a device such as a pulley to provide spectacular entrances and exits for supernatural characters

10. an event, etc, introduced into a literary work for special effect

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verb

1. (tr) to shape, cut, or remove (excess material) from (a workpiece) using a machine tool

2. to use a machine to carry out a process on (something)

machine Scientific  

/ mə-shēn′ /

1. A device that applies force, changes the direction of a force, or changes the strength of a force, in order to perform a task, generally involving work done on a load. Machines are often designed to yield a high mechanical advantage to reduce the effort needed to do that work.

2. ◆ A simple machine is a wheel, a lever, or an inclined plane. All other machines can be built using combinations of these simple machines; for example, a drill uses a combination of gears (wheels) to drive helical inclined planes (the drill-bit) to split a material and carve a hole in it.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• machinability
  noun
• antimachine
  adjective
• machinable
  adjective
• machine-like
  adjective
• machineless
  adjective
• unmachined
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• machines
  plural

Participles

• machining
  present
• machined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• machine
  simple
• machines
  simple
• have machined
  perfect
• has machined
  perfect
• am machining
  progressive
• are machining
  progressive
• is machining
  progressive
• have been machining
  perfect progressive
• has been machining
  perfect progressive

Past

• machined
  simple
• had machined
  perfect
• was machining
  progressive
• were machining
  progressive
• had been machining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will machine
  simple
• will have machined
  perfect
• will be machining
  progressive
• will have been machining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of machine

First recorded in 1540–50; from French, from Latin māchina, from Doric Greek māchanā́ “pulley,” akin to mâchos “contrivance”; cf. mechanic

Explanation

At its simplest, a machine is an invention that does a job better and faster and more powerfully than a human being. Despite being man-made we’ve come to think of the word machine as the very opposite of human. The Machine Age we live in is considered impersonal and overwhelming, and anything machine-like is often considered soulless or even dangerous. (Witness the countless fantasies of robots taking over the world.) Human beings working together, like "the cogs of a machine," can become more powerful than a single person. That's why sports teams or political organizations are often described as "well-oiled machines."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

machine machines machined machining

Filming will take place inside and outside the building over several weeks, with a rain machine due to be used for one scene.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

"It has human-like qualities but actually this is just a machine," Laycock says.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

"You want to see what it looks like ten years in the future? Tuvalu is a time machine for Australia."

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

First Class James Luce, who was positioned near machine guns and mortars a short distance from the enemy trench, the digital battlefield map proved essential.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

On the floor in front of the washing machine there was a huge stack of dirty clothes.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Cat traps, fur removal machines and measuring scales were among the items seized during the investigation.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

This can include lifting weights such as dumbbells, using gym machines or resistance bands, or using your own body weight in exercises such as squats, step-ups or press-ups.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

This season, Yerxa said he’s paying roughly double for the diesel he uses to power the farm’s tractors, combines, harvesters and dozens of other heavy-duty machines.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

There’s a 30-year-old printing press and machines added in the last two years to serve the burgeoning trading-card games business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Even though I’m not good with machines, I figured out that was the throttle and the pictures meant fast and slow.

From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen

The monitor had been designed with screws in the back that had 25 concentric circles machined into their flat heads to make them sparkle as light passed over them.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

Still, in our endless chase of machined refinement, I think we’re missing the value of human irregularity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

The material bonds to copper using only heat and pressure, and its components can be machined with widely available equipment.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 19, 2026

The carbon fibre hull had titanium domes fitted on each end, but he said the metal had been machined incorrectly.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2025

Two days before Christmas 1937, a load of 196 tons of steel was delivered to the Moore Dry Dock Company on the Oakland waterfront, to be machined into the Crocker Cracker’s huge magnet.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

It previously housed the company's machining shop and later its research and development workshop.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

According to a biography of Woods published in 1887, he attended school until about the age of 10, learning basic reading, writing and arithmetic, before leaving to apprentice in blacksmithing and machining.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

Boeing traced the problem to a machining error.

From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026

Patterson argued that the court should allow ATF to regulate only firearms that have been completed with “critical machining operations.”

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2024

“So I guess you’re an expert at welding and machining now,” he said.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• apparatus
• appliance
• automobile
• engine
• gadget
• instrument
• motor
• tool
• vehicle