machine
an apparatus consisting of interrelated parts with separate functions, used in the performance of some kind of work: a sewing machine.
a mechanical apparatus or contrivance; mechanism.
Mechanics.
a device that transmits or modifies force or motion.
Also called sim·ple ma·chine . any of six or more elementary mechanisms, as the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, screw, wedge, and inclined plane.
Also called com·plex ma·chine . a combination of simple machines.
Older Use.
an automobile or airplane.
a typewriter.
a bicycle or motorcycle.
a vending machine: a cigarette machine.
any complex agency or operating system: the machine of government.
an organized group of persons that conducts or controls the activities of a political party or organization: He heads the Democratic machine in our city.
a person or thing that acts in a mechanical or automatic manner: Routine work had turned her into a machine.
any of various contrivances, especially those formerly used in the theater, for producing stage effects: The ancient Greeks used a theatrical machine to lower actors onto the stage.
some agency, personage, incident or other feature introduced for effect into a literary composition.
to make, prepare, or finish with a machine or with machine tools.
Origin of machine
1Other words from machine
- ma·chine·less, adjective
- an·ti·ma·chine, adjective
- un·ma·chined, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use machine in a sentence
Hmm, who are these people standing in front of the machines at the gym, neither occupying them nor not occupying them?
The running machines are a gloomy chorus of heavy-footed stomping.
For days, the ruble has been falling and salaries shrinking; shoppers have rushed to snap up TV sets and washing machines.
After His Disastrous Annual Press Conference, Putin Needs A Hug | Anna Nemtsova | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut this is a regular office with fax machines and telephones and computers.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees | Barbie Latza Nadeau | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt break time, the entire assembly line would run over to play the machines that were ready to be shipped out.
The foreman's immense voice, explaining machines and tools, caused physical vibrations in her.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettThe Austrian soldiers, regarded as mere fighting machines, are certainly well got up.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyMachines for cutting files and rasps were patented by Mr. Shilton, Dartmouth Street, in 1833.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellTo prevent the old disputes in collecting his corn tithes, he had at work one of Captain Trevithick's steam thrashing machines.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickTo supply the demand for galvanised signalling and fencing cords, the machines must turn out 15,000 yards of strand per day.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
British Dictionary definitions for machine
/ (məˈʃiːn) /
an assembly of interconnected components arranged to transmit or modify force in order to perform useful work
Also called: simple machine a device for altering the magnitude or direction of a force, esp a lever, screw, wedge, or pulley
a mechanically operated device or means of transport, such as a car, aircraft, etc
any mechanical or electrical device that automatically performs tasks or assists in performing tasks
(modifier) denoting a firearm that is fully automatic as distinguished from semiautomatic
(in combination): machine pistol; machine gun
any intricate structure or agency: the war machine
a mechanically efficient, rigid, or obedient person
an organized body of people that controls activities, policies, etc
(esp in the classical theatre) a device such as a pulley to provide spectacular entrances and exits for supernatural characters
an event, etc, introduced into a literary work for special effect
(tr) to shape, cut, or remove (excess material) from (a workpiece) using a machine tool
to use a machine to carry out a process on (something)
Origin of machine
1Derived forms of machine
- machinable or machineable, adjective
- machinability, noun
- machineless, adjective
- machine-like, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for machine
[ mə-shēn′ ]
A device that applies force, changes the direction of a force, or changes the strength of a force, in order to perform a task, generally involving work done on a load. Machines are often designed to yield a high mechanical advantage to reduce the effort needed to do that work.♦ A simple machine is a wheel, a lever, or an inclined plane. All other machines can be built using combinations of these simple machines; for example, a drill uses a combination of gears (wheels) to drive helical inclined planes (the drill-bit) to split a material and carve a hole in it.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse