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 wayThis type of star has a wonderful property: Its brightness waxes and wanes like clockwork…—
Ron Cowen
Ron CowenIf everything went like clockwork, it would have taken a year to get items in stores.—Brooks Barnes
Brooks BarnesExamples of clockwork in a Sentence
the clockwork inside a mechanical toy soldier
Recent Examples on the Web
Every year since, that headline has reappeared like clockwork.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
Maria Consentino of Arvada had spent a career at IBM and wanted a retirement move to run like clockwork.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025
Lyra’s world has a cozy, Miyazaki, my-favorite-things feeling, with its narrow lanes, gleaming clockwork, teetering stacks of books, crashing thunderstorms, and, oh God, those brown-paper packages tied up with string!
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
The announcement of a cost-of-living adjustment, which arrives like clockwork during the first weeks of October, has been delayed by the federal government shutdown.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clockwork
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Li Goldstein, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
Maria Consentino of Arvada had spent a career at IBM and wanted a retirement move to run like clockwork.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025
Lyra’s world has a cozy, Miyazaki, my-favorite-things feeling, with its narrow lanes, gleaming clockwork, teetering stacks of books, crashing thunderstorms, and, oh God, those brown-paper packages tied up with string!
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
The announcement of a cost-of-living adjustment, which arrives like clockwork during the first weeks of October, has been delayed by the federal government shutdown.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clockwork
Cite this Entry
“Clockwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clockwork. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clockwork
noun
clock·work
ˈkläk-ˌwərk
: machinery (as in a mechanical toy) containing a set of small cogwheels
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