well-oiled
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of well-oiled
First recorded in 1730–40
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.
On top of that, the Nashville music industry was already established, and it valorized the professional songwriter as a key part of a well-oiled machine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
It's a well-oiled machine, kicked into overdrive by a war more than a thousand kilometres away.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
To complete the picture, PSG's midfield of Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves is the well-oiled engine room linking it all together.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
They’re a well-oiled machine of fun over there!
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Ifemelu sometimes sensed, underneath the well-oiled sequences of Kimberly s life, a flash of regret not only for things she longed for in the present but for things she had longed for in the past.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
