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Synonyms

machinist

American  
[muh-shee-nist] / məˈʃi nɪst /

noun

  1. a person who operates machinery, especially a skilled operator of machine tools.

  2. a person who makes or repairs machines.

  3. U.S. Navy. a warrant officer whose duty is to assist the engineering officer in the engine room.

machinist British  
/ məˈʃiːnɪst /

noun

  1. a person who operates machines to cut or process materials

  2. a maker or repairer of machines

"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

Etymology

Origin of machinist

First recorded in 1700–10; machine + -ist

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.

The story begins in Boston, at the close of the Civil War, when machinist Ira Steward penned a pamphlet called “The Eight Hour Movement.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

All around him, workers are cutting the leather into the right shape to hand it to the machinist.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2025

The last Boeing machinist strike in 2008 lasted eight weeks, securing wage gains and a promise to outsource less plane manufacturing.

From Salon • Sep. 13, 2024

His father, Luis, an immigrant from Honduras, was a machinist.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024

When he saw me, he took an enormous risk: he pointed at me and shouted, "That boy—he is my apprentice! I need him! He is the most skilled and talented machinist I have ever employed."

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

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.