machinery
noun
Simple meaning
The collective parts of something which allow it to function.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
muhsheenereeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
məˈʃinɚi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The machines constituting a production apparatus, in a plant etc., collectively.
The working parts of a machine as a group.
The collective parts of something which allow it to function.
figuratively
The literary devices used in a work, notably for dramatic effect.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The machines constituting a production apparatus, in a plant etc., collectively.
Used this way, machinery is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use machinery
- “New farm machinery can significantly increase crop yield and efficiency.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The United Kingdom's central unit for the tasking and coordination and funding of intelligence and security agencies.
Machinery that processes materials by grinding or crushing.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.