machinery

Everyday

1. Machines in general, especially large ones: farm machinery, heavy machinery. tree →
2. The moving parts of a machine. tree →
3. The system or organisation that makes something work: the machinery of government. tree →

In the lessons

In safety lessons «keep away from machinery» warns about danger on farms and building sites. In science and design, machinery shows how forces and moving parts do work. In formal or news language «the machinery of the law» means the system behind it.

Examples

• The farm machinery is kept in the barn. tree →
• Never play near heavy machinery. tree →
• The noise of the machinery filled the factory. tree →
• Oil keeps the machinery running smoothly. tree →
• Children must not operate machinery. tree →
• Workers wear hard hats near the machinery. tree →
• The machinery of government moves slowly. tree →
• He says everything is done by machinery now; there must be some way of settling these dragons. tree →

Note

Uncountable: «a lot of machinery», not «machineries»; for one, say «a machine» or «a piece of machinery». Stress: ma-SHEE-nuh-ree.