mechanism

American  

[mek-uh-niz-uhm] / ˈmɛk əˌnɪz əm /

noun

• mechanisms
  plural

1. an assembly of moving parts performing a complete functional motion, often being part of a large machine; linkage.

2. the agency or means by which an effect is produced or a purpose is accomplished.

3. machinery or mechanical appliances in general.

4. the structure or arrangement of parts of a machine or similar device, or of anything analogous.

5. the mechanical part of something; any mechanical device.

   the mechanism of a clock.

6. routine methods or procedures; mechanics.

   the mechanism of government.

7. mechanical execution, as in painting or music; technique.

8. the theory that everything in the universe is produced by matter in motion; materialism.

9. Philosophy.

   1. the view that all natural processes are explicable in terms of classical mechanics.

   2. the view that all biological processes may be described in physicochemical terms.

10. Psychoanalysis. the habitual operation and interaction of psychological forces within an individual that assist in interpreting or dealing with the physical or psychological environment.

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mechanism British  

/ ˈmɛkəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a system or structure of moving parts that performs some function, esp in a machine

2. something resembling a machine in the arrangement and working of its parts

   the mechanism of the ear

3. any form of mechanical device or any part of such a device

4. a process or technique, esp of execution

   the mechanism of novel writing

5. philosophy

   1. the doctrine that human action can be explained in purely physical terms, whether mechanical or biological

   2. the explanation of phenomena in causal rather than teleological or essentialist terms

   3. the view that the task of science is to seek such explanations

   4. strict determinism Compare dynamism vitalism

6. psychoanal

   1. the ways in which psychological forces interact and operate

   2. a structure having an influence on the behaviour of a person, such as a defence mechanism

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antimechanism
  noun
• mechanismic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mechanisms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mechanism

First recorded in 1655–65; from New Latin mēchanismus; Late Latin mēchanisma “contrivance,” from Greek mēchan(ḗ) machine + New Latin -ismus, Late Latin -isma -ism

Explanation

Use the word mechanism to describe a process that has been set up to accomplish a particular goal. If you’ve set up a method for dealing with your sister when she annoys you, then you have a mechanism in place for establishing peace with your sister. The word mechanism came into the English language in the seventeenth century by way of the Latin word mechanismus, which traces back to the Greek word mekhane, meaning “device" or "means.” Mechanism still carries with it the meaning of “device” and can be used to describe a machine, but nowadays you are more likely to hear it used to describe a process for getting something done, such as "a mechanism for generating revenue" or "a crisis-resolution mechanism."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mechanism mechanisms

“Whatever the mechanism, real rates are very high. At some point that is simply the clearing price for fiscally dominant economies trying to attract enough private capital to fund enormous sovereign borrowing,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

While passports have security features such as watermarks and electronic ID chips, Porter says, "we tolerate a £10 number plate with no security mechanism on it".

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

“However, certain issues require resolution, like working out a mechanism for supplying weaponry.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

The mice lacked any known mechanism for converting cystine into the cysteine their cells required.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026

Some of the mortar safety pins, which kept the priming mechanism from allowing the round to detonate on impact, had not been replaced.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

The United Nations Command, which conducted the on-site investigations into the blasts with the South Korean military, said it would handle the violation of the 1953 armistice "through established Armistice mechanisms".

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

It’s sometimes a combination of trying all of these different roundabout mechanisms to try to confirm that these folks were, in fact, still in detention and where I left them, more or less.

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026

Those systems include its software, thermal controls, mechanisms, cameras, and the avionics that operate them.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

Polymarket’s chief competitor, Kalshi, doesn’t, though that company inspects funds withdrawn to different payment mechanisms and freezes suspicious payments, a person familiar with that company’s protocols said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Perhaps the fantastically sensitive and precise immunologic mechanisms for the detection of small molecules such as haptenes represent another way of sensing the same markers.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• agency
• operation
• procedure
• process
• system
• technique