Machinate

//ˈmækɪneɪt// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To devise a plot or secret plan; to conspire. ambitransitive

    "Had she already managed to machinate a cushy job for her husband?"

  2. 2
    engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together wordnet
  3. 3
    arrange by systematic planning and united effort wordnet

Example

More examples

"Had she already managed to machinate a cushy job for her husband?"

Etymology

First attested in 1537; borrowed from Latin machinātus, perfect active participle of machinor (“to invent, devise; to scheme, plot”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from māchina (“machine, contrivance, device, scheme”), an early borrowing from Ancient Greek. See also machine.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.