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Synonyms

vending machine

American  

noun

  1. a coin-operated machine for selling small articles, beverages, etc.

vending machine British  

noun

  1. Also called: automat.  a machine that automatically dispenses consumer goods such as cigarettes, food, or petrol, when money is inserted

"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 vending machine

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

A litter picking group has introduced a second reverse vending machine to the county that will offer rewards to people who recycle their cans and bottles.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

He used Find My to locate the phone — at a vending machine for used electronics miles away, close to an ICE detention center.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026

"That largely explains the success of these machines," said Bottos, who describes them as "somewhere between a vending machine, a game of chance and a game of skill".

From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025

I’m not Joanna Stern, who wants singing cars and robot dishwashers and still elected to rat out the Journal’s AI vending machine for selling fine wine and delicious live fish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

“Not a lot of options at a vending machine on the 101,” my dad said.

From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate

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.