contraption
Other forms: contraptions
A contraption is a device that has a specific purpose and is often overly complicated. If your dad yells, “Get that contraption out of here!” He doesn’t appreciate the Rube Goldberg machine you made out of his golf clubs.
The word is English, all right, but how it got here is a mystery. It may be from a combination of contrive and adaptation. Contraptions — also called gadgets or gizmos — are devices people make for various purposes. Often, this word is used when someone isn't quite sure what something is, as in "What's that contraption?" Oh that’s just a dog-walking machine made of a roller skate, bacon, and four paper clips.
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a small mechanical device or toolsynonyms: appliance, contrivance, convenience, gadget, gismo, gizmo, widgettypes:gadgetryappliances collectivelygimbalan appliance that allows an object (such as a ship's compass) to remain horizontal even as its support tipsinjectora contrivance for injecting (e.g., water into the boiler of a steam engine or particles into an accelerator etc.)mod conmodern convenience; the appliances and conveniences characteristic of a modern housetype of:devicean instrumentality invented for a particular purpose
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Vocabulary lists containing contraption
In 1776, Isabel is enslaved by British loyalists. When she begins to work as a spy for American revolutionaries, she discovers that neither side is interested in her freedom—and decides to do something about it.
Ray Bradbury explores the dark side of technology in this story about a family living in a mechanized house. Click here to explore our lists for other works by Ray Bradbury.
In this exposé, award-winning journalist Eric Schlosser explores the effects of the American fast food industry on global health, labor conditions, and the environment.