clockwork

noun

clock·​work ˈkläk-ˌwərk 

1

: the inner workings of something

2

: the machinery (such as springs and a train of gears) that run a clock

also : a similar mechanism running a mechanical device (such as a toy)

3

: the precision, regularity, or absence of variation associated with a clock or clockwork

a clockwork operation

—used in the phrase like clockwork to describe something that happens or works in a regular and exact way

This type of star has a wonderful property: Its brightness waxes and wanes like clockwork…

—Ron Cowen

If everything went like clockwork, it would have taken a year to get items in stores.

—Brooks Barnes

Examples of clockwork in a Sentence

the clockwork inside a mechanical toy soldier

Recent Examples on the Web

Weston McKennie’s jump to Ruben Dias forces the wide pass, and City’s midfield rotates like clockwork. —Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 June 2025

But every night, like clockwork, the cats came by for mealtime. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025

The backlash came like clockwork, but causing controversy was business as usual by then. —James Mercadante, EW.com, 11 June 2025

Every summer like clockwork, the human rights lawyer and her actor husband, George Clooney, decamp to Lake Como for the summer, La Dolce Vita style. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 11 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for clockwork

• artwork
• beadwork
• berserk
• breastwork
• brickwork
• brushwork
• casework
• classwork
• coursework
• ductwork
• earthwork
• falsework

Kids Definition

clockwork

noun

clock·​work ˈkläk-ˌwərk 

: machinery (as in a mechanical toy) containing a set of small cogwheels