contraption

noun con·trap·tion \ kən-ˈtrap-shən \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: contraption in a Sentence

Editor's Note: What Exactly is a contraption?

Definition of contraption

: device, gadget

See contraption defined for English-language learners

See contraption defined for kids

contraption was our Word of the Day on 09/18/2013. Hear the podcast!

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

That video contraption was the only real frill in an otherwise modest production — a show designed to let Styles’ music and charisma carry the load.

— brian mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Harry Styles cuts new musical path at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit," 27 June 2018
Callans gestures to the small, dark patches, each connected by a wire to an unseen contraption.

— ross dellenger, SI.com, "Nick Fitzgerald Rehabs and Readies to Embrace an Offense That Could Make Him Better Than Ever," 27 June 2018
Next to the loom, a doll the size of a toddler stands in a wooden contraption designed to keep a child contained within reach; behind that is a cradle that can be rocked by a pedal next to those on the loom.

— New York Times, "On the Rug Route in Romania, Kilims and an Enduring Culture," 4 May 2018
The contraption is on the second model in the yellow dress in the video below.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Ankle iPhone Holsters Appear at Couture Fashion Week," 4 July 2018
The contraption is an Antminer S9, sold by Bitmain, a Chinese firm.

— The Economist, "How a few companies are bitcoining it," 19 May 2018
But when imported safeties hit the US market in the spring of 1887, the machines found eager buyers; Pope and other American cycle makers scrambled to put out their own versions of the header-resistant contraptions.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Wheel, the Woman, and the Human Body," 6 July 2018
Think Willy Wonka without the charm, or the sort of contraption that a kid imagines pouring in several disparate objects — a lamp, a duck, a pizza, a tire — and out plops a red Solo cup.

— christopher borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "That red plastic cup is a Chicago original. Proceed to party.," 29 June 2018
Best known for its Roomba vacuum cleaner, the company makes many other product as well—such as robots that defuse IEDs and other deadly contraptions in war zones.

— rob reid, Ars Technica, "Ars on your lunch break, part one: Rodney Brooks and robot ethics," 20 June 2018

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.