machine

noun

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ma·chine | \ mə-ˈshēn

plural machines

Definition of machine

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a mechanically, electrically, or electronically operated device for performing a task an espresso machine The store sold treadmills and other exercise machines. … manufactures machines for the processing and packaging of pharmaceuticals …— Rosie Fitzmaurice

b : conveyance, vehicle especially : automobile Throughout the auto industry, the move is toward bigger engines and seductive ad campaigns pitched at motorists who yearn for the thrill of driving a mean machine. — David Pauly et al.

c : a coin-operated device a snack machine

d(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

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

f : computer especially : personal computer You might think that your files are safe on your Mac and Windows machine. But hard drives are not perfect. Data can become corrupted, and it's easy to delete the wrong files by mistake. — Andrew Uh A firm-owned laptop is configured with the security software and applications the user needs to perform their job. Relocating the laptop to the home network preserves the security of the computer, making it safer to use than the typical home machine. — Sharon D. Nelson and John W. Simek

2a : someone or something that resembles a machine (as in being methodical, tireless, or consistently productive) … a gifted publicist and quote machine …— John Lancaster Dan Reeves's Falcons weren't given much of a chance against the Vikings, the top scoring machine of all time.— Paul Zimmerman

b(1) : a combination of persons acting together for a common end along with the agencies they use The Homefront tells the fascinating story of how America transformed itself in the years 1941-45 from a society mired in depression into a war machine more powerful than any the world had yet known.— Stanley Marcus From the first months of the war, each nation's propaganda machine encouraged its citizens to lionize their aces—those pilots having five or more victories.— Howard G. Fisher If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth …— Henry David Thoreau

(2) : a highly organized political group under the leadership of a boss (see boss entry 1 sense 2) or small group of individuals a politician who challenged the local party machine

c : a living organism or one of its functional systems If fame means parading the inevitable ravages that time and excess wreak on the human machine, I'd just as soon do that in private.— Stanley Bing

3 : a literary device or contrivance (such as a supernatural being or event) introduced for dramatic effect

4a archaic : a constructed thing whether material or immaterial : structure … those supporters and pillars, upon whom the frame and machine of the building was grounded …— John Stow and Anthony Munday … with what beauty, art and contrivance, particular creatures are made, and how the several parts of this great machine are fitted to each other, and make a regular and uniform world …— William Sherlock

b archaic : a military engine (such as a catapult)

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 More Example Sentences Phrases Containing machine Learn More About machine

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Add the two eggs and two yolks, one at at time, with machine running; beat for an additional minute. — Carla Hall, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2022 Also inspect and clean the ducting that links the machine to the wall. — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2022 The machine is used to calculate hydration of testers’ clean skin before a product is applied and six hours after to gauge the difference in moisturization over time (pictured below). — Nicole Saporita, Good Housekeeping, 8 Aug. 2022 That description is a common one among gearheads, a way of expressing that the human operator and the machine are out of sync. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2022 Russia has parked an armored personnel carrier and trucks in a machine room of reactor No. 1, according to Dmytro Orlov, mayor of Enerhodar, the town that is home to the nuclear plant. — Arkansas Online, 7 Aug. 2022 She's used the machine for countless recipes, from blueberry buckle to chicken empanadas. — Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 7 Aug. 2022 With the machine running, add about 6 tablespoons olive oil (or more as needed) until the mixture is smooth, but still somewhat paste-like. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 7 Aug. 2022 Russia has parked an armored personnel carrier and trucks in a machine room of reactor No. 1, according to Dmytro Orlov, mayor of Enerhodar, the town that is home to the nuclear plant. — Andrew E. Kramer, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb How will machine learning change the human condition? — WSJ, 5 July 2022 How will machine learning be operationalized for the first model and for all those to follow? — Adam Famularo, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2022 Advanced manufacturing students were needed to machine some of the parts and build the plaques. — John Laidler, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Nov. 2021 It was once considered modern to architect this chaos into order, to machine the wet muck of existence into clean lines and hard edges. — Matthew Schneier, Curbed, 14 Sep. 2021 The ferrule is fully machined, and the Anix Blade Locking System keeps the blades secure at all times. — Jace Bauserman, Field & Stream, 9 Jan. 2020 Check out those wheels, looking like they were machined from a solid chunk of attitudinum. — Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 30 Mar. 2020 The gun is guaranteed sub-MOA with match ammunition, features in-house machined and matched upper and lower receivers. — John Haughey, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2019 The SRC-11—with upper and lower receivers machined from billet 7075-T6 aluminum—chambered in the 6.5 Grendel is ideally suited to big-game hunting. — Richard Mann, Field & Stream, 17 Sep. 2019 See More

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.