Standard Lemma guide

machinery

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • mə-shē'nə-rē
  • /məˈʃiːnəɹi/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːnəɹi
  • CMU ARPABET: M AH0 SH IY1 N ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: M AH0 SH IY1 N R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The machines constituting a production apparatus, in a plant etc., collectively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The working parts of a machine as a group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The collective parts of something which allow it to function.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • All of the machinery of the law was brought to bear on the investigation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The literary devices used in a work, notably for dramatic effect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

machines or machine systems collectively

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: machine

Narrower terms: enginery, mill, grinder, milling machinery

6

noun

Meaning 6

a system of means and activities whereby a social institution functions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the complex machinery of negotiation
  • the machinery of command labored and brought forth an order

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: system, scheme

History

Etymology

From machine + -ery. Compare French machinerie.

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: съоръжения (sǎorǎženija) — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Catalan: maquinària — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Danish: maskineri — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Dutch: machinery — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Dutch: machinepark — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Esperanto: maŝinaro — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Finnish: koneet — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • French: machines — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • French: parc de machines — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • German: Maschinerie — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • German: maschinelle Ausrüstung — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Hindi: मशीनरी (maśīnrī) — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Khmer: គ្រឿងចក្រ (krɨəng cak) — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Navajo: tʼáadoo leʼé naanídeíjeehígíí — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Norman: machinn'nie — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Polish: maszyneria — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Portuguese: maquinaria — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Portuguese: maquinário — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Romanian: mașinărie — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Russian: обору́дование (oborúdovanije) — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Russian: маши́ны (mašíny) — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Spanish: máquinas — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Spanish: maquinaria — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Swedish: maskineri — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Tagalog: makinarya — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Tagalog: kasigmuan — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Welsh: peirianwaith — machines constituting a production apparatus
  • Bulgarian: механизъм (mehanizǎm) — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Catalan: maquinària — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Danish: maskineri — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Dutch: machinerie — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Dutch: mechaniek — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Finnish: koneisto — working parts of a machine as a group
  • French: pièces — working parts of a machine as a group
  • French: machinerie — working parts of a machine as a group
  • German: Maschinerie — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Hindi: मशीनरी (maśīnrī) — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Hungarian: gép — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Hungarian: szerkezet — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Malay: jentera — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Romanian: mecanism — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Russian: механи́зм (mexanízm) — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Spanish: maquinaria — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Swedish: maskineri — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Tagalog: makinarya — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Tagalog: kasigmuan — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Welsh: peirianwaith — working parts of a machine as a group
  • Bulgarian: машинария (mašinarija) — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Czech: mašinérie — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Danish: maskineri — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Dutch: machinerie — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Finnish: koneisto — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • French: mécanique — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • German: Maschinerie — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • German: Räder — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • German: Einzelteile — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • German: Rädchen — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Hungarian: gépezet — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Khmer: ម៉ាស៊ីន (maasɨn) — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Romanian: mașinărie — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Russian: механи́зм (mexanízm) — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Spanish: maquinaria — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Swedish: maskineri — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Tagalog: makinarya — collective parts of something which allow it to function
  • Tagalog: kasigmuan — collective parts of something which allow it to function
Real reading context

machinery in complete knowledge articles