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

The past two weeks have brought more attention to an aspect of Arsenal’s approach that usually runs like clockwork: their build-up play. —Art De Roché, New York Times, 2 May 2025

But the exact words, the same fear, came back like clockwork. —Patricia Arboleda, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

China's human spaceflight missions have launched like clockwork since the country's first domestic astronaut launch in 2003. —Abigail Bassett, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025

Every quarter-mile along the road, regular as clockwork, stood a pretty white house surrounded by a patch of garden. —Lee Marshall, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 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