What does "mechanic" mean?
A manual worker; a labourer or artisan.
Mechanic
/mɪˈkænɪk/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A manual worker; a labourer or artisan.
- Grammar: mechanic is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aeromechanic, aeronautical engineer, aircraftsman, apprentice.
- Useful contrasts: amateur, layperson, nonmechanic.
- Usage evidence: The mechanic assembled the engine.
How to use "mechanic"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mechanic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mechanic" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mechanic" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mechanic" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mechanic" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aeromechanic" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mechanic", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A manual worker; a labourer or artisan. historical
"His noble earnestness, his fidelity, his gallant shielding of her, his generous conquest of his own wrong and his own pride for her sake, are simply honourable, manly, and true. Nothing less worthy can be seen through the lustre of such qualities in the commonest mechanic, nothing less worthy can be seen in the best-born gentleman."
- 2 someone whose occupation is repairing and maintaining automobiles wordnet
- 3 Someone who builds or repairs machinery, a technician; now specifically, someone who works with and repairs the mechanical parts of a motor vehicle, aircraft or similar.
- 4 a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools wordnet
- 5 A device, method or means; a function.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A device, method or means; a function.; A function, rule or other implementation that dictates gameplay; a ludeme, a feature.
"This game has a mechanic where if you run toward a ledge you automatically jump off rather than just falling."
- 7 A hitman. slang
"And from then on, his bag was silence. Silence and killing. Overnight he became the best grunt we had, a real killer, a mechanic."
- 8 A cheat who manipulates the cards or dice.
"I can do other things beside burglarizing. I'm a first-class crap dealer, I'm a pretty good card mechanic, pretty good dice mechanic."
Adjective
- 1 mechanical; relating to mechanics or the laws of motion in physics archaic
"[…] these mechanick Philosophers being in no Way able to give an Account thereof from the necessary motion of Matter, unguided by Mind for Ends […]"
- 2 mechanical; precise but lifeless, as if performed by machine archaic
"But, for the unquiet heart and brain, A use in measured language lies; The sad mechanic exercise, Like dull narcotics, numbing pain."
- 3 Of or relating to a mechanic or artificer, or to the class of artisans; hence, rude; common; vulgar; base. obsolete
"Mechanic slaves, With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers."
Adjective
- 1 resembling the action of a machine wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The mechanic assembled the engine."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mechanic"?
Common synonyms include: aeromechanic, aeronautical engineer, aircraftsman, apprentice, artificer, artisan.
How do you use "mechanic" in a sentence?
The mechanic assembled the engine.
How do you pronounce "mechanic"?
Pronounced /mɪˈkænɪk/.
Etymology
From Middle English mekanyk (“mechanical”), from Old French mecanique, from Latin mechanicus (“of or belonging to machines or mechanics, inventive”), from Ancient Greek μηχανικός (mēkhanikós, “pertaining to machines or contrivance, mechanic, ingenious, inventive”), from μηχανή (mēkhanḗ, “a machine, contrivance”); see machine.