1
general::
machine
verbs
switch on/turn on a machine
• Turn the machine on and slowly add the hot liquid.
switch off/turn off a machine
• Is the tape machine switched off?
operate/work a machine
• Have you been taught to operate the machine properly?
use a machine
• Can you use the copy machine?
a machine operates/works
• The machine works using solar power.
install a machine
(= put it somewhere and connect it so it can be used )
• 300 new machines have been installed across the country.
upgrade a machine
(= add new and better parts to it or replace it with a better one )
• How much will it cost to upgrade the machine?
types of machine
a washing machine
(= for washing clothes )
• Put your dirty clothes straight in the washing machine.
a sewing machine
• Can I borrow your sewing machine to make some curtains?
an answering machine
(= for recording telephone messages )
• There’s a message on the answering machine.
a coffee machine
(= for providing cups of coffee )
• She was at the coffee machine last time I saw her.
a vending machine
(= for supplying drinks, chocolate bars etc )
• You can buy hot drinks from the vending machine in the corridor.
a cash/ATM machine
(= for giving you money from your bank account )
• I need to stop at a cash machine.
a slot machine
(= for putting coins in in order to try and win more money )
• The casino has 500 slot machines.
a life-support machine
(= for keeping a very sick person alive )
• He has been on a life-support machine since the accident.
transnet.ir
2
general::
machine
a piece of equipment with moving parts that uses power such as electricity to do a particular job:
• a washing machine • an X-ray machine • Staff are trained to operate the machine.
appliance
formal a machine or piece of electrical equipment, usually a large one, that people use in the home:
• The store sells kitchen appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and toasters. • We carry out repairs on a range of household appliances.
device
a piece of equipment, usually a small electronic one, that does a special job:
• electronic listening devices • 50,000 people downloaded the music to computers or portable devices such as iPods. • The device is fitted to the car and can detect stationary objects ahead.
gadget
a small, useful, and cleverly-designed tool or machine:
• high-tech gadgets • He buys all the latest gadgets.
contraption
a machine or piece of equipment that looks strange or complicated:
• There was a bizarre contraption for polishing the floor.
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
noun piece of equipment ADJ. great, huge, large, powerful | automatic, electronic | labour-saving | ingenious, versatile | sophisticated | reliable | defective | cash, coffee, exercise, fax, sewing, (telephone) answering, vending, video, washing | kidney, life-support The crash victim is now on a life-support machine. VERB + MACHINE operate, use, work | install We've had a new washing machine installed. | start, stop | plug in, unplug | build, make | service | design The machine is designed to fit under a counter. MACHINE + VERB go, work Have you got the machine working again? | break down | run The machine runs on solar power. MACHINE + NOUN operator | parts | tool machine tools for making weapons PREP. by The potatoes are planted by machine. | in a/the ~ Just put those clothes in the machine (= the washing machine). | on a/the ~ I make my own dresses on my sewing machine. | ~ for a machine for making coffee PHRASES a make of machine What make of machine are they using? system/organization ADJ. party, political The independent candidates did not have the support of a party machine. | administrative, government, state | propaganda, publicity | military, war the president's propaganda machine PHRASES a cog in the machine (figurative) Tired of being a tiny cog in a vast machine, he handed in his resignation. | a well-oiled machine (figurative) The department ran like a well-oiled machine since the reorganization.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary