machine tool

American  

noun

1. a power-operated machine, as a lathe, used for general cutting and shaping of metal and other substances.

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machine tool British  

noun

1. a power-driven machine, such as a lathe, miller, or grinder, that is used for cutting, shaping, and finishing metals or other materials

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Other Word Forms

• machine-tooled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of machine tool

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

machine tool

"Regional pockets and certain sectors have been hit harder," such as tourism and machine tool manufacturing, he said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

Manufacturers report persistent shortages of machine tool operators and technicians who can repair complex new equipment, skills that take time and training to learn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026

The staff grew to seventeen, including what the writer Robert Marks later described as “Polish sheet metal experts, Italian machine tool men, Scandinavian woodcraftsmen, and former Rolls-Royce coach makers.”

From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2022

Logos for Haas Automation, the CNC machine tool manufacturing company Haas founded, will be on his two cars at this week’s F1 test in Bahrain.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2022

The chuck may be applied to an ordinary lathe or may be combined with a special machine tool, as show in our illustration.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 441, June 14, 1884. by Various