mechanic
Americannoun
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mechanics
plural
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a person who repairs and maintains machinery, motors, etc..
an automobile mechanic.
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a worker who is skilled in the use of tools, machines, equipment, etc.
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Slang. a person skilled in the dishonest handling of cards, dice, or other objects used in games of chance.
noun
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a person skilled in maintaining or operating machinery, motors, etc
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archaic a common labourer
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mechanic
1350–1400; Middle English: mechanical < Latin mēchanicus < Greek mēchanikós, equivalent to mēchan ( ḗ ) machine + -ikos -ic
Explanation
A mechanic is a person who builds or repairs engines or other machines. Mechanics are trained to use special tools and often work in shops or garages. If you are planning to be a mechanic, you have to be prepared to get your hands dirty. The most common type of mechanic works on vehicles like cars, motorcycles, tractors, or airplanes. If your car is making a strange noise, you should probably take it to a mechanic. The oldest meaning of this word was simply "laborer," or "person who works with his hands," from the Greek root mekhanikos, "engineer." The current sense of mechanic came into use along with the popularity of the automobile.
Vocabulary lists containing mechanic
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.
See Examples For:
The industrial mechanic and former union leader is a relative political novice, and says he's always refused to define himself along party lines.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Kushner’s father, who had worked as an Army mechanic in World War II, told her years later that he had never been more terrified than when he took her to have that abortion.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
He has not been able to return to work at his mechanic shop but says neighbours and friends have helped cover the cost of some of the medicine he needs.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
After a plague wipes out most of humanity, Jacob Elordi’s mechanic and Josh Brolin’s ex-Marine debate their different visions of survival in the director’s newest sci-fi story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
I take pictures of the mechanic shop on the way to school.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
Instead, he is focusing on the mechanics of improving the current system — for both homeowners and insurers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
That idea clashes with the classical expectation that each particle should possess its own separate physical reality, a feature of quantum mechanics that famously troubled Albert Einstein.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026
But AI has made the mechanics of the classroom harder by separating production from understanding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Equity trading strategy tends to focus on short-term market mechanics, positioning and execution, as opposed to the bank’s more fundamental macro-led equity strategy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
All night long, mechanics refueled the planes and checked the oil and water levels as quickly as possible.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
