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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

With Anthropic, another major AI startup, you will stress-test the AI “agent” idea in the most journalistically responsible way possible: by putting a bot-powered vending machine in a newsroom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 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

He dropped two quarters into the newspaper vending machine and pulled up on the handle, but it wouldn’t open.

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar

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.