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contraption was our Word of the Day on 09/18/2013. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of contraption in a Sentence
The people wondered how the contraption worked.
built a contraption for automatically buttering toast
Recent Examples of contraption from the Web
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Thankfully, a can or two of high-temperature spray paint can restore life to your contraptions and extend their life.
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Finau would attach knives to both ends of a stick, light them on fire and twirl the flaming, razor-sharp contraption like a baton.
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Your child will make an elaborate machine inspired by cartoonist and engineer Rube Goldberg, who imagined complicated contraptions to perform pedestrian tasks.
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In the next room is a mechanical music contraption with a dozen different instruments that play by themselves when Tancik pushes a button.
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He's seen a flurry of reaction to his plans, with detractors labeling him a crackpot for planning the launch in a homemade contraption and his belief that the world is flat.
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He’s seen a flurry of reaction to his plans, with detractors labeling him a crackpot for planning the launch in a homemade contraption and his belief that the world is flat.
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He's seen a flurry of reaction to his plans, with detractors labeling him a crackpot for planning the launch in a homemade contraption and his belief that the world is flat.
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Last year, Kitty Hawk unveiled an awkward-looking contraption that worked something like a flying jet ski.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contraption.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What Exactly is a contraption?
English has a number of words that can be used as general terms for mechanical or electronic devices, including gadget, gizmo, widget, and contraption. In addition to their meaning, these four words also have a couple of other things in common. First, they are all relative newcomers to the language. The oldest, contraption, entered the language around 1825. Second, the origins of all four are a bit of a mystery (well, widget is believed to be an alteration of gadget, but the origins of gadget are unknown-it didn't appear in print until 1886, but is believed to have been used among sailors perhaps as far back as the mid-1800s). Contraption, may be a blend of contrivance (which can be used as another synonym of gadget), trap, and invention.
Origin and Etymology of contraption
perhaps blend of contrivance, trap, and invention
contraption Synonyms
Related Words
implement, instrument, tool, utensil;
accessory (also accessary), adjunct;
dingus, doodad, doohickey, hickey, thingamabob, thingamajig (or thingumajig), thingummy;
CONTRAPTION Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of contraption for English Language Learners
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: a piece of equipment or machinery that is unusual or strange
CONTRAPTION Defined for Kids
Learn More about contraption
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See words that rhyme with contraption Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for contraption Spanish Central: Translation of contraption Nglish: Translation of contraption for Spanish speakers
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