machinery

machinery — noun

1. large mechanical devices thought of as a group, or the moving parts inside a dev

1.nounB1
Definition

large mechanical devices thought of as a group, or the moving parts inside a device that allow it to operate.

Example

The factory installed new heavy machinery to speed up production.

collocation: heavy machinery

Yara had to read the safety guide before operating any machinery at the construction site.

pattern: operating + machinery

Common collocations
  • heavy machinery
  • operate machinery
  • farm machinery
  • industrial machinery
  • piece of machinery
  • machinery breakdown
Synonyms
  • equipment

    broader term that includes tools and devices beyond just machines

  • apparatus

    more formal, often used for scientific or technical devices

  • gear

    informal, can refer to equipment for a specific activity

  • hardware

    focuses on the physical components of a computer or mechanical system

Grammar Patterns

machinery + singular verb

piece/item of machinery

Usage Note

Frequently paired with nouns that identify the type of work (farm machinery, factory machinery, construction machinery). Machinery is an uncountable noun — use a piece of machinery or an item of machinery to refer to one device.

Common Mistakes

The workshop has three new machineries.
The workshop has three new machines.
machinery is uncountable and does not take a plural -s form.
I need to repair a machinery.
I need to repair a piece of machinery.
for a single device, use a piece of machinery instead of a machinery.

2. the systems, official processes, and people that together make an organization o

2.nounB2
Definition

the systems, official processes, and people that together make an organization or activity work — for example, the machinery of government, the machinery of justice, or the machinery of a political party.

Example

The machinery of government moves slowly when new laws need approval from several departments.

pattern: the machinery of + [institution]

Beatriz studied how the legal machinery handles trade disputes between the two countries.

collocation: legal machinery

Common collocations
  • machinery of government
  • legal machinery
  • political machinery
  • propaganda machinery
  • machinery of justice
  • machinery for resolving disputes
Synonyms
  • system

    more general and neutral; less metaphorical than machinery

  • apparatus

    similar formality, used for the structures of an organization

  • structure

    focuses on the arrangement of parts rather than the processes

  • organization

    emphasises how people and roles are arranged

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the machinery of + noun

machinery for + noun/-ing

Usage Note

Common in formal or journalistic writing. The noun that follows the machinery of is almost always an abstract institution (government, justice, democracy, war). The phrase machinery for + noun/-ing is also possible but less frequent (machinery for resolving disputes).

Common Mistakes

The machinery of our office lunch break is too complicated.
The system for our office lunch break is too complicated.
this metaphorical use sounds too grand for everyday situations; use system, process, or arrangement instead.
We need to fix the machinery of the computer.
We need to fix the computer.
sense 2 is for abstract organizations/processes, not physical devices.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Machinery refers specifically to large mechanical devices or the working parts inside a machine — it suggests power, movement, and industrial use. Equipment is the broadest term: it covers any tools, devices, or gear needed for a task, from a chef's knives to a scientist's lab tools. Apparatus is more formal and often scientific, used for the specialised instruments in a laboratory or a political system. Gear is informal and usually tied to a specific activity (camping gear, sports gear). Hardware focuses on the physical components of computers or mechanical systems, contrasting with software. For example, a factory has machinery (industrial presses, conveyor belts), while the same factory's workers need safety equipment (helmets, goggles) — different items, different words.

machinery ↗equipment ↗apparatus ↗gear ↗hardware ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the machinery of
  • piece of machinery
  • item of machinery
  • machinery for

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word machinery entered English in the late 1600s, borrowed from French machinerie, which itself came from Latin machina meaning 'a device, a contrivance.' The original Latin root — related to the Greek mēkhanē (μηχανή), 'a machine, a clever device' — also gave English machine, mechanic, and mechanism. The metaphorical sense (machinery of government) developed in the 1800s, extending the idea of interconnected moving parts to describe the working systems of organisations.