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.