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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

machine.

A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/məˈʃiːn/Received-Pronunciation/məˈʃin/Canada, General-American/məˈʃiːn/Australia, New-Zealand
  1. A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.

  2. A vehicle operated mechanically, such as an automobile or an airplane.

    dated
  3. An answering machine or, by extension, voice mail.

    abbreviation
    I called you earlier, but all I got was the machine.
  4. A computer.

    Game developers assume they're pushing the limits of the machine.
    He refuses to turn off his Linux machine.
  5. A person or organisation that seemingly acts like a machine, being particularly efficient, single-minded, or unemotional.

    figuratively
    Bruce Campbell was a "demon-killing machine" because he made quick work of killing demons.
    The government has become a money-making machine.
  6. Especially, the group that controls a political or similar organization; a combination of persons acting together for a common purpose, with the agencies which they use.

  7. Supernatural agency in a poem, or a superhuman being introduced to perform some exploit.

  8. The system of special interest groups that supports a political party, especially in urban areas.

    US
  9. Penis.

    euphemistic · obsolete
  10. A contrivance in the Ancient Greek theatre for indicating a change of scene, by means of which a god might cross the stage or deliver a divine message; the deus ex machina.

    historical
  11. A bathing machine.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-der.? Ancient Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ) Doric Greek μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́)bor. Latin māchinabor. Middle French machinebor. English machine Borrowed from Middle French machine, from Latin māchina (“a machine, engine, contrivance, device, stratagem, trick”), from Doric Greek μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́), cognate with Attic Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ, “a machine, engine, contrivance, device”), from which comes mechanical. Displaced native Old English searu.

verb/məˈʃiːn/Received-Pronunciation/məˈʃin/Canada, General-American/məˈʃiːn/Australia, New-Zealand
  1. To make by machinery.

  2. To shape or finish by machinery; (usually, more specifically) to shape subtractively by metal-cutting with machine-controlled toolpaths.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-der.? Ancient Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ) Doric Greek μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́)bor. Latin māchinabor. Middle French machinebor. English machine Borrowed from Middle French machine, from Latin māchina (“a machine, engine, contrivance, device, stratagem, trick”), from Doric Greek μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́), cognate with Attic Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ, “a machine, engine, contrivance, device”), from which comes mechanical. Displaced native Old English searu.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.