machine

I UK [məˈʃiːn] / US [məˈʃɪn] noun [countable]
Word forms "machine":
singular machine plural machines
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Other ways of saying machine:

device a small machine that has been designed to do something specific: a device for measuring the temperature inside and outside the house ♦ a safety/explosive device appliance a machine that has a practical use in the home: household appliances such as cookers and dishwashers gadget a small machine that does something useful, or is designed to do something useful but is in fact useless or unnecessary: a great little gadget that tells you when your egg is boiled tool an instrument that you hold in your hand to do something physical: the set of tools he uses for repairing the car equipment things that you use for doing a particular job or for a particular purpose: play/kitchen/diving/climbing equipment ♦ The gardeners had left a pile of equipment lying on the lawn. implement a specially shaped object that you use for doing something specific: a cutting/writing implement contraption a machine that is very complicated and looks rather strange: an odd contraption that he must have made himself mechanism a part of a machine that does something specific, especially something that involves opening or closing: I tried to open it but the mechanism had jammed.

1) a piece of equipment that does a particular job by using electricity, steam, gas etc

Sue showed him how to operate the machine.

by machine:

These companies do everything by machine these days.

a) a computer

Put the disk in your machine and click on the "A" drive.

Users will be able to upgrade their machines as necessary.

b) an answering machine

There's a message on the machine for you.

c) a washing machine

Is it okay to put this shirt in the machine?

d) a vending machine

You can get a cup of coffee out of the machine.

e) a cash machine

He said the machine had swallowed his card.

2)

a) a person or animal that does something very effectively

a fighting/killing machine:

The lion is an efficient killing machine.

a well-oiled machine (= a group or system that works well and easily):

The team is a well-oiled machine right now.

b) someone who works so hard at a particular activity that they have no time for other activities or for thoughts and feelings

By the end of the evening I felt like a cooking machine.

3)

a) the people and things that are used for achieving a particular aim

the British war machine

a money/propaganda machine:

He criticized those who had turned politics into a "money machine".

b) an organized system of people with power, especially in politics

the government/party machine:

The government machine moved swiftly to deny the allegations.

4) informal a vehicle, especially a motorcycle

That's a mean machine (= a beautiful vehicle) you've got there.

5) physics a simple tool or piece of equipment that changes the size or direction of a force, for example a lever or a screw

II UK [məˈʃiːn] / US [məˈʃɪn] verb [intransitive/transitive]
Word forms "machine":
present tense I/you/we/they machine he/she/it machines present participle machining past tense machined past participle machined

1) to do something on a machine, especially to give metal, wood, or plastic a particular shape

2) to sew things using a machine