machine tool

American  

noun

1. a power-operated machine, as a lathe, used for general cutting and shaping of metal and other substances.

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machine tool British  

noun

1. a power-driven machine, such as a lathe, miller, or grinder, that is used for cutting, shaping, and finishing metals or other materials

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Other Word Forms

• machine-tooled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of machine tool

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

machine tool

"Regional pockets and certain sectors have been hit harder," such as tourism and machine tool manufacturing, he said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

Manufacturers report persistent shortages of machine tool operators and technicians who can repair complex new equipment, skills that take time and training to learn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026

In the shadow of Hitler's 1938 annexation of Austria, Kundanlal, a machine tool manufacturer from Ludhiana city in the northern state of Punjab, quietly offered Jewish professionals jobs in India to get them life-saving visas.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2025

The part is finished by trimming in a computer-controlled machine tool.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 17, 2023

Standardization, due to the machine tool, is one of the chief glories of American manufacturing.

From The Age of Invention : a chronicle of mechanical conquest by Holland Thompson