machine

noun, often attributive

ma·chine | \ mə-ˈshēn

Definition of machine

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a archaic : a constructed thing whether material or immaterial

b : conveyance, vehicle especially : automobile

c archaic : a military engine

d : any of various apparatuses formerly used to produce stage effects

e(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

f : a mechanically, electrically, or electronically operated device for performing a task a machine for cleaning carpets

g : a coin-operated device a cigarette machine

h : machinery —used with the or in plural

2a : a living organism or one of its functional systems

b : one that resembles a machine (as in being methodical, tireless, or consistently productive) a gifted publicist and quote machine— John Lancaster

c(1) : a combination of persons acting together for a common end along with the agencies they use building a powerful war machine

(2) : a highly organized political group under the leadership of a boss or small clique a politician who challenged the local party machine

3 : a literary device or contrivance introduced for dramatic effect

machine

verb

machined; machining

Definition of machine (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: 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

Other Words from machine Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about machine

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from machine

Verb

machinability or less commonly machineability \ mə-ˌshē-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

machinable or less commonly machineable \ mə-ˈshē-nə-bəl

\ adjective

Examples of machine in a Sentence

Noun

Shovels are tools; bulldozers are machines. Do you know how to operate this machine? The machine is working properly. He was bragging about his new machine. The coach turned the team into a scoring machine. My younger brother is an eating machine. a politician who dared to challenge the local party machine Their army is a well-oiled machine.

Verb

The parts of the engine have been precisely machined.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But there is another option: a portable washing machine. — Alyssa Fiorentino, House Beautiful, "This Black + Decker Portable Washing Machine Might Be The Best Thing That's Ever Happened to Me," 3 May 2019 There were rows of Travis-themed merchandise (Cactus Jack is the sneaker that Travis is collaborating on with Nike), and a working Travis slurpee machine—that was apparently Hennessey flavored. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Kylie Jenner's Blowout Party for Travis Scott Had a...Gas Station Theme?," 1 May 2019 Old-school autonomy NASA has a long history with AI and machine-learning technologies, Chien said. — Alyson Behr, Ars Technica, "NASA’s next Mars rover will use AI to be a better science partner," 6 Dec. 2018 State election officials can flag misinformation to Facebook for potential removal, and the company is also using its machine-learning tools to identify false content, such as posts with the wrong election date. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Facebook and Twitter’s midterm task: fighting off online efforts to suppress the vote," 3 Nov. 2018 In addition, machine learning can flag those drugs and materials that look promising but may come with potentially harmful risks and side effects. — Irving Wladawsky-berger, WSJ, "AI for Molecular Design," 30 Apr. 2019 An update rolled out today that adds support for Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology, which uses machine learning and the dedicated tensor cores inside GeForce RTX graphics cards to make your games play faster. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "BioWare's Anthem adds DLSS support as Nvidia's RTX push continues," 26 Mar. 2019 In fact, 50% of these household machines contain yeast and mold, according to one survey. — Lauren Smith, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean a Coffee Maker, According to Cleaning Experts," 4 Mar. 2019 And despite this cascade of scandals, 2018 also saw dozens, hundreds, of hopeful and positive deployments of machine learning and AI. — James Vincent, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: AI," 30 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

On my '90s bike, the axle itself nested in a notch machined into the frame. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "How bicycles have changed in the last 25 years," 10 Nov. 2018 Duvets cannot be used without a duvet cover, and, unlike the cover, require dry cleaning as opposed to machine wash. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "The Ultimate Guide to the Duvet Cover," 11 Oct. 2018 The failure was traced back to a tiny pipe that was machined only slightly imprecisely. — Roma Agrawal, New York Times, "Under Modernity’s Hood: Precision Engineering," 14 May 2018 Directed by Gary Ross, who machined the script together with Olivia Milch (and the uncredited help of anyone who’s ever written a caper flick), the movie goes down relatively easy despite these nits. — Gary Ross, New York Times, "Review: ‘Ocean’s 8’ Women Walk Away With a Male Franchise. Sort Of.," 5 June 2018 Molds for climbing holds were machined by a CNC mill. — Jenny Earnest, Outside Online, "How Two Scientists Will Build Mountains," 30 Apr. 2018 In an effort to reduce weight and increase fuel economy, today's rotors are very thin and cannot be machined in most cases. — Bob Weber, chicagotribune.com, "Do drivers not use their blinkers anymore or are they low on blinker fluid?," 24 June 2017 What happened to rebuilding calipers and machining rotors? — Bob Weber, chicagotribune.com, "Do drivers not use their blinkers anymore or are they low on blinker fluid?," 24 June 2017 Most notably, The Field Company machined the cooking surface of their skillet to a high sheen so food is less likely to stick; a detail that helps with things like grabbing and flipping over-easy eggs. — Jakob Schiller, Outside Online, "The Field Skillet Is a Modern Spin on an Old Favorite," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'machine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.