machine tool

American

noun

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

machine tool British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

machine-tooled adjective

Etymology

Origin of machine tool

First recorded in 1860–65

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.

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 deal will alleviate fears, including in the country's famed watch industry and machine tool sector, of any lasting impact of the devastating tariff hike.

From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025

In the shadow of Hitler's 1938 annexation of Austria, Kundanlal, a machine tool manufacturer from Ludhiana city in the northern state of Punjab, quietly offered Jewish professionals jobs in India to get them life-saving visas.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025

The part is finished by trimming in a computer-controlled machine tool.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 17, 2023

The lathe is the oldest of machine tools and exists in a greater variety of forms than any other machine tool.

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