Slangora

Rube Goldberg machine

(by extension) Anything that is overly complicated.

ˈɹub ˈɡoʊldbɚɡ məˈʃinCurrent131 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🗺️ Regional & Other
2 definitions
Community

Seen in the wild

Definitions

#1·Apr 27, 2026

(by extension) Anything that is overly complicated.

Was this helpful?

Comments

#2·Apr 27, 2026

(US, Canada) A comical, overcomplicated machine which performs a simple task.

Origin: Named for Rube Goldberg, an American cartoonist, who drew many such machines. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Heard in the wild
  • “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
  • “The most Rube Goldberg machine puzzles ever made (aggressively affectionate)”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?

Comments

Have a better definition?

Add your own interpretation of "Rube Goldberg machine".

Add definition

🗺️About Regional & Other slang

Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.

See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.

Tags

Other words near "Rube Goldberg machine" (R)

Browse all slang words starting with R.

Related terms

People also read

Semantically related