mechanic
Americannoun
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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
Etymology
Origin of mechanic
1350–1400; Middle English: mechanical < Latin mēchanicus < Greek mēchanikós, equivalent to mēchan ( ḗ ) machine + -ikos -ic
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.
She said she couldn’t afford the $1,700 a mechanic recently quoted her for car repairs, and worries whether she will have enough to retire in five years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Another fan, Carlos Rodriquez, an airplane mechanic living in Tampa, disagreed.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
One New York City mechanic is raking in $2,200 a night, off a single pothole.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026
The mechanic who helped remove it said the two American tourists blamed the satnav for sending them down the tiny path to St Catherine's Island, which is at the foot of the nearby beach.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
Papa took his worn blue coveralls off the coat hanger and pulled them over the work clothes he was wearing for his computer repair job; the coveralls looked like something an auto mechanic would wear.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.
