infernal machine

noun

: a machine or apparatus maliciously designed to explode and destroy life or property
especially : a concealed or disguised bomb

Examples of infernal machine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Brandishing one of these infernal machines is Italian Michele Fuso, camping with friends. Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025 From the anarchist’s perspective, the true infernal machine that had been unleashed was James Watt’s steam engine. Steven Johnson, New York Times, 17 May 2024 There was a possibility, police said, that Weigand had stumbled upon a mad bomber about to set off another infernal machine. Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2024 Aycock’s strangely infernal machine upends historical associations between weaving and delicate women’s work, inserting monumental sculpture into the postindustrial dialogue. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of infernal machine was in 1810

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Cite this Entry

“Infernal machine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infernal%20machine. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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