machinery
Americannoun
plural
machineries-
an assemblage of machines or mechanical apparatuses.
the machinery of a factory.
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the parts of a machine, collectively.
the machinery of a watch.
-
a group of people or a system by which action is maintained or by which some result is obtained.
the machinery of government.
- Synonyms:
- setup, structure, organization
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a group of contrivances for producing stage effects.
-
the group or aggregate of literary machines, especially those of supernatural agency epic machinery in an epic poem.
noun
-
machines, machine parts, or machine systems collectively
-
a particular machine system or set of machines
-
a system similar to a machine
the machinery of government
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literary devices used for effect in epic poetry
Other Word Forms
- antimachinery adjective
Etymology
Origin of machinery
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.
“Our entire war machinery — missiles, radar, fighter jets — all need these heavy rare earths,” O’Connor said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
On a tour of the facility, which is packed with expensive-looking machinery, Gassan explained the philosophy behind the clinic.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
Across India, the quiet machinery of automation has been reshaping - and in many cases, eliminating - the jobs that the middle class was built on.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
Electronics and machinery stocks are leading the declines.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Nevertheless, it has been claimed that the innovations of Galileo, Hooke and Huygens made possible the geared machinery of the Industrial Revolution.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
