1
as in apparatus
a mechanical part or group of parts used to perform a specific task
The printer's paper feeding mechanism is jammed.
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2
as in system
a series of actions used to achieve an end
She was stunned to learn that there was no mechanism in place to remedy the problem.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mechanism
The internal mechanisms are pretty much a black box most of the time.
—
ArsTechnica, 8 June 2026
To all appearances, so many years later, this was a mechanism that had been thoroughly tested and that worked perfectly well.
—Andrea Bajani, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
There is not a pre-clearance mechanism.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
Such a mechanism would need to be practical, not performative.
—John W.h. Denton Ao, Fortune, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mechanism
ArsTechnica, 8 June 2026
To all appearances, so many years later, this was a mechanism that had been thoroughly tested and that worked perfectly well.
—Andrea Bajani, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
There is not a pre-clearance mechanism.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
Such a mechanism would need to be practical, not performative.
—John W.h. Denton Ao, Fortune, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mechanism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mechanism
Noun
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Others refused to use domestic apps, which are known to be monitored by the security apparatus.—
Holly Dagres,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
-
This time, the testing apparatus featured a rectangular arena with two compartments, both invisible to the bees.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Ranked-choice voting is a system in which voters can mark candidates as their first, second, third, and subsequent choices.—
Margie Cullen,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
The compromise is mainly symbolic since FCAS is a generic name for such systems and not unique to this plan, but officials have been seeking a formula allowing Macron to relinquish the core fighter without having to declare the whole project dead.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Noun
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The device was one of two that had been removed from the garage of an apartment in Santa Monica after they were discovered by a tenant in July.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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Investigators said the device had the potential to damage an aircraft and cause a loss of cabin pressure.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Since then, the state has executed six other inmates with the method, and Louisiana has used it once.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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The most common method is IP address detection.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Noun
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The Hemopurifier rides on that same circuit, and on that same machine’s electronics.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 June 2026
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But the actors are reduced to joke machines trapped in a nonsensical nonplot, and while some of those gags yield laughs, a far greater number fall flat.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The backstory You can’t just open a world-class hotel in Paris—and perhaps no one is more aware of that fact than Silvio Ursini, the executive vice president of Bulgari Hotels and Resorts, who described a more than decade-long process of finding and selecting the perfect site for the hotel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
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Those margins remained tight as counting continued, with millions of ballots — many cast by mail — still left to process.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Noun
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The awards and their accompanying speeches are the best promotional tools potential winners have in their arsenal, especially in an era when Broadway economics have gotten crazier by the year.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
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The tool, which uses artificial intelligence, could be deployed at airports to bolster wildlife enforcement efforts, the researchers say.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Tigers ace Tarik Skubal returned to throwing barely a week after having the procedure and threw a simulated game 20 days after the surgery.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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The Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Program, or RMP, is the main federal program designed to prevent hazardous chemical incidents and spell out emergency procedures.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mechanism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mechanism. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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