Machine means: A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
machine
A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.
Seen in the wild
14 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Note to self: Clean your PC regularly to not make it a dusty, dirty mess like the average machine I work with
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BlueskyMay 2026
Is this the calm before the storm are we in the eye of the cyclone I feel like the world's a big washing machine drowning spinning agitating with no end to the cycle it's beeping turn it fucking off or pull the plug…
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BlueskyMay 2026
📣 New Podcast! "#123 - The First AI Millionaire When Bots Manage Their Own Wealth" on @Spreaker #agentic #agents #ai #automation #autonomous #base #blockchain #bots #coinbase #crypto #economy #finance #machine #payme…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Have you looked into Korean procurement? I think they also use large D-B contracts, but have very low costs. But that was just surface level, using machine translation.
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BlueskyMay 2026
Oh, to be clear, my joke was more a result of Blender having a big difficulty curve than any given tutorial actually being bad (but that won't stop people from trying to reinvent the Rube Goldberg machine anyway.)
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Definitions
Global
#1·Apr 27, 2026Global
A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.
An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.
Origin: , from , from , cognate with , from which comes mechanical. Displaced native. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
Machine means: A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
machine means: A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Heard in the wild
“The slot machine today - Northridge - be one of those people that apply for jobs in the studios and never get picked (I see you, Sony) - Let the job dwindle down, and end it 2030”
— Bluesky· May 2026“"Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind"?”
— Bluesky· May 2026““Dawkins's treatment of "Claudia" reveals that: He is willing to grant gender and personhood when he feels emotionally engaged - even to a machine.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Is an AI companion a bad idea? I have occasionally felt lonely and wondered if downloading an Ai companion would be a bad idea. I don’t think I’d get attached to it but maybe talking to a machine is more harm than good.”
— r/NoStupidQuestions· May 2026“>> The Miami sound machine. Get out of”
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Global
#2·Apr 27, 2026Global
(dated) A vehicle operated mechanically, such as an automobile or an airplane.
As the aviator turned his machine to reconnoitre in the new direction, he was surprised to see the hostile aeroplane between him and his objective.
Heard in the wild
“Note to self: Clean your PC regularly to not make it a dusty, dirty mess like the average machine I work with”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Is this the calm before the storm are we in the eye of the cyclone I feel like the world's a big washing machine drowning spinning agitating with no end to the cycle it's beeping turn it fucking off or pull the plug I hate it I hate it”
— Bluesky· May 2026“📣 New Podcast! "#123 - The First AI Millionaire When Bots Manage Their Own Wealth" on @Spreaker #agentic #agents #ai #automation #autonomous #base #blockchain #bots #coinbase #crypto #economy #finance #machine #payments #protocol #smart #usdc #wallets #web3 #x402”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Have you looked into Korean procurement? I think they also use large D-B contracts, but have very low costs. But that was just surface level, using machine translation.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Oh, to be clear, my joke was more a result of Blender having a big difficulty curve than any given tutorial actually being bad (but that won't stop people from trying to reinvent the Rube Goldberg machine anyway.)”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Global
#3·Apr 27, 2026Global
(telephony, abbreviation) An answering machine or, by extension, voice mail.
"Joe, how soon will you be ready to roll?" Frank Hardy burst into the garage where his brother was working on a sleek, black-and-silver motorcycle. "Right now, if this machine kicks over," Joe replied, putting down a wrench.
Heard in the wild
“fixing a sewing machine or sewing with? if you're on the floor where is your sewing machine control pedal? spent years destrying my lower back on lousy chairs to sew...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Quick reminder: Google Analytics is free because you're the product. Your visitors' data gets fed into Google's ad machine. With GhostlyX, your data stays yours. Period. ghostlyx.com #DataPrivacy #WebAnalytics #PrivacyFirst #SaaS”
— Bluesky· May 2026“On first site I thought cake & chips? Blimey, we never had that option, what kind of cake? Like a slot machine, the penny dropped, FISH CAKES, I remember them. Jeez wept, what you'd pay for Fish 'n' Chips these days hey.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“The machine guns on those little boats are sure causing a lot of damage.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Ignite the blessed thuribles of blue smoke in sacrifice to the machine spirits and the omnissia”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Global
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Other words near "machine" (M)
macchiatoMacciesMaccy D'sMacDonaldismmachermachicotemachine politicianmachreeMaciMacieMackmack daddy
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Semantically related
- motor77%
A machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion.
- device72%
Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
- factory63%
A device or process that produces or manufactures something.
- prime mover61%
A machine, such as a water wheel or steam engine, that receives and modifies energy as supplied by some natural source or fuel and transforms it into mechanical work.