mechanism
noun
Simple meaning
Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
mehkuhnihzuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmɛkənɪzəm
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
within a machine or machinery
Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.
Any combination of cams, gears, links, belts, chains and logical mechanical elements.
A group of entities, such as objects, that interact together.
Any process of, or system designed to manage useful energy conversion.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (within a machine or machinery) Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.
Used this way, mechanism is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is an engineering use: it is a working term used for accuracy on the job.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
- Science
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A craftsman skilled in operating machine tools.
Using (or as if using) mechanisms or tools or devices.
In a mechanical manner.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A chemical mechanism involved in vital processes occurring in living organisms.
The atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction.
An unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires.
An unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires.
A form of behavior that evades unpleasant realities.
The action that ignites the charge in a firearm.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Of or relating to the philosophical theory of mechanism.
Mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles.
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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.