plural machines
1
a
: a mechanically, electrically, or electronically operated device for performing a task
an espresso machine
The store sold treadmills and other exercise machines.
… manufactures machines for the processing and packaging of pharmaceuticals …—Rosie Fitzmaurice
b
: conveyance, vehicle
especially
: automobile
Throughout the auto industry, the move is toward bigger engines and seductive ad campaigns pitched at motorists who yearn for the thrill of driving a mean machine. —David Pauly et al.
c
: a coin-operated device
a snack machine
d(1)
: an assemblage (see assemblage sense 1) of parts that transmit forces, motion, and energy one to another in a predetermined manner
(2)
: an instrument (such as a lever) designed to transmit or modify the application of power, force, or motion
e
: any of various apparatuses formerly used to produce stage effects
f
: computer
especially
: personal computer
You might think that your files are safe on your Mac and Windows machine. But hard drives are not perfect. Data can become corrupted, and it's easy to delete the wrong files by mistake. —Andrew Uh
A firm-owned laptop is configured with the security software and applications the user needs to perform their job. Relocating the laptop to the home network preserves the security of the computer, making it safer to use than the typical home machine. —Sharon D. Nelson and John W. Simek
2
a
: someone or something that resembles a machine (as in being methodical, tireless, or consistently productive)
… a gifted publicist and quote machine …—John Lancaster
Dan Reeves's Falcons weren't given much of a chance against the Vikings, the top scoring machine of all time.—Paul Zimmerman
b(1)
: a combination of persons acting together for a common end along with the agencies they use
The Homefront tells the fascinating story of how America transformed itself in the years 1941-45 from a society mired in depression into a war machine more powerful than any the world had yet known.—Stanley Marcus
From the first months of the war, each nation's propaganda machine encouraged its citizens to lionize their aces—those pilots having five or more victories.—Howard G. Fisher
If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth …—Henry David Thoreau
(2)
: a highly organized political group under the leadership of a boss (see boss entry 1 sense 2) or small group of individuals
a politician who challenged the local party machine
c
: a living organism or one of its functional systems
If fame means parading the inevitable ravages that time and excess wreak on the human machine, I'd just as soon do that in private.—Stanley Bing
3
: a literary device or contrivance (such as a supernatural being or event) introduced for dramatic effect
4
a
archaic
: a constructed thing whether material or immaterial : structure
… those supporters and pillars, upon whom the frame and machine of the building was grounded …—John Stow and Anthony Munday
… with what beauty, art and contrivance, particular creatures are made, and how the several parts of this great machine are fitted to each other, and make a regular and uniform world …—William Sherlock
b
archaic
: a military engine (such as a catapult)
machined; machining
: to process by or as if by machine
especially
: to reduce or finish by or as if by turning, shaping, planing, or milling by machine-operated tools
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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