Machinery Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms machinery American [muh-shee-nuh-ree] / məˈʃi nə ri /

noun

plural

machineries

1. an assemblage of machines or mechanical apparatuses.

   the machinery of a factory.

2. the parts of a machine, collectively.

   the machinery of a watch.

3. a group of people or a system by which action is maintained or by which some result is obtained.

   the machinery of government.

   Synonyms: setup, structure, organization

4. a group of contrivances for producing stage effects.

5. the group or aggregate of literary machines, especially those of supernatural agency epic machinery in an epic poem.

machinery British / məˈʃiːnərɪ /

noun

1. machines, machine parts, or machine systems collectively

2. a particular machine system or set of machines

3. a system similar to a machine

   the machinery of government

4. literary devices used for effect in epic poetry

"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

Other Word Forms

• antimachinery adjective

Etymology

Origin of machinery

First recorded in 1680–90; machine + -ery

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.

“I feel like heavy machinery, where you just have to press the button and the machine comes on. It challenges me to arrive and go and not rely so much on my feelings.”

From Los Angeles Times

The discovery that bacteria can colonize surfaces even when their normal swimming machinery fails has important health implications.

From Science Daily

He’s keeping the machinery running to follow through on his promises.

From The Wall Street Journal

It will focus on cargo and hull and machinery to start.

From Barron's

However, transferring the complex machinery from algae into land plants has proven extremely difficult.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• apparatus
• appliance
• engine
• equipment
• gear
• instrument
• motor
• system
• tool
• utensil
• vehicle

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.