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machine
[ muh-sheen ]
noun
- an apparatus consisting of interrelated parts with separate functions, used in the performance of some kind of work:
a sewing machine.
- a mechanical apparatus or contrivance; mechanism.
- Mechanics.
- a device that transmits or modifies force or motion.
- Also called sim·ple ma·chine. any of six or more elementary mechanisms, as the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, screw, wedge, and inclined plane.
- Also called com·plex ma·chine. a combination of simple machines.
- Older Use.
- an automobile or airplane.
- a typewriter.
- a bicycle or motorcycle.
- a vending machine:
a cigarette machine.
- any complex agency or operating system:
the machine of government.
- an organized group of persons that conducts or controls the activities of a political party or organization:
He heads the Democratic machine in our city.
- a person or thing that acts in a mechanical or automatic manner:
Routine work had turned her into a machine.
- any of various contrivances, especially those formerly used in the theater, for producing stage effects:
The ancient Greeks used a theatrical machine to lower actors onto the stage.
- some agency, personage, incident or other feature introduced for effect into a literary composition.
verb (used with object)
- to make, prepare, or finish with a machine or with machine tools.
machine
/ məˈʃiːn /
noun
- an assembly of interconnected components arranged to transmit or modify force in order to perform useful work
- Also calledsimple machine a device for altering the magnitude or direction of a force, esp a lever, screw, wedge, or pulley
- a mechanically operated device or means of transport, such as a car, aircraft, etc
- any mechanical or electrical device that automatically performs tasks or assists in performing tasks
- modifier denoting a firearm that is fully automatic as distinguished from semiautomatic
- ( in combination )
machine pistol
machine gun
- any intricate structure or agency
the war machine
- a mechanically efficient, rigid, or obedient person
- an organized body of people that controls activities, policies, etc
- (esp in the classical theatre) a device such as a pulley to provide spectacular entrances and exits for supernatural characters
- an event, etc, introduced into a literary work for special effect
verb
- tr to shape, cut, or remove (excess material) from (a workpiece) using a machine tool
- to use a machine to carry out a process on (something)
machine
/ mə-shēn′ /
- A device that applies force, changes the direction of a force, or changes the strength of a force, in order to perform a task, generally involving work done on a load . Machines are often designed to yield a high mechanical advantage to reduce the effort needed to do that work.
- ◆ A simple machine is a wheel, a lever, or an inclined plane. All other machines can be built using combinations of these simple machines; for example, a drill uses a combination of gears (wheels) to drive helical inclined planes (the drill-bit) to split a material and carve a hole in it.
Derived Forms
- maˌchinaˈbility, noun
- maˈchineless, adjective
- maˈchinable, adjective
- maˈchine-ˌlike, adjective
Other Words From
- ma·chine·less adjective
- an·ti·ma·chine adjective
- un·ma·chined adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of machine1
Example Sentences
He became a mistake machine in the face of Rangers pressure.
The machines could be dangerous if you weren’t paying attention, and he’d slept about 3½ hours.
It would have been the first outdoor test in the United States of such a machine, had the city council not shut it down before the experiment was concluded.
He and his friend, 33-year-old Abel Rodgers, grabbed a hose connected to a machine that pumped water from the pool and began spraying down their home.
He and Gellis jumped into action, grabbing a hose connected to a machine that pumped water from the pool and began soaking everything.
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