1
as in devices
a mechanical part or group of parts used to perform a specific task
The printer's paper feeding mechanism is jammed.
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2
as in methods
a series of actions used to achieve an end
She was stunned to learn that there was no mechanism in place to remedy the problem.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mechanisms
Discoveries about the underlying technical mechanisms within LLMs are showing us more so how AI personas happen under-the-hood.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000 set minimum nationwide safety standards but have been limited by textual ambiguities and insufficient enforcement mechanisms.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Jan. 2026
As a result, the league is currently operating under a limited status quo, which means some mechanisms of the offseason — such as the schedule construction and release — can still proceed as normal.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
That involves centralizing cash through techniques (like sweeping) and mechanisms (like cross-border collateral), in line with a global marketplace’s ability to facilitate the fluid movement of supply and demand across different countries and languages.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 27 Jan. 2026
GripWalk soles, walk-mode mechanisms, cabrio constructions, and BOA dials have all improved the comfort, convenience, and performance of alpine ski boots.
—Jenny Wiegand, Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Both mechanisms help minimize swelling.
—Erica Sweeney, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
The problem was there were no mechanisms for addressing wokeness within the left.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
The film is set in the artistic and academic milieu and portrays the silent mechanisms of exclusion and the emotional toll of waiting, fear and uncertainty, while examining how political systems shape the most intimate decisions of everyday life.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000 set minimum nationwide safety standards but have been limited by textual ambiguities and insufficient enforcement mechanisms.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Jan. 2026
As a result, the league is currently operating under a limited status quo, which means some mechanisms of the offseason — such as the schedule construction and release — can still proceed as normal.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
That involves centralizing cash through techniques (like sweeping) and mechanisms (like cross-border collateral), in line with a global marketplace’s ability to facilitate the fluid movement of supply and demand across different countries and languages.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 27 Jan. 2026
GripWalk soles, walk-mode mechanisms, cabrio constructions, and BOA dials have all improved the comfort, convenience, and performance of alpine ski boots.
—Jenny Wiegand, Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Both mechanisms help minimize swelling.
—Erica Sweeney, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
The problem was there were no mechanisms for addressing wokeness within the left.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
The film is set in the artistic and academic milieu and portrays the silent mechanisms of exclusion and the emotional toll of waiting, fear and uncertainty, while examining how political systems shape the most intimate decisions of everyday life.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mechanisms
Noun
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Across the other devices, both Mac and Wearables, Home & Accessories sales declined year over year, while the market anticipated slight growth.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Micro-robots and devices To demonstrate practical applications, the team fabricated several working devices.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Unlike classical supercomputers, which excel at simulations and data-heavy tasks, quantum computers operate on fundamentally different principles, enabling new approaches to solving problems that are considered impractical using traditional computing methods.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
-
There’s a substantial potential market for other methods.—
Ana Castelain,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Weiser, who is running for governor in this year’s election, characterized the attacks as Trump trying to leverage the power of the executive branch to exercise unconstitutional authority over how individual states conduct elections and oversee their criminal justice systems.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
9 Jan. 2026
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Modern apartments have all the latest fire protection systems, such as sprinklers.—
Rachel Kim,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This launch represents a significant step toward turning robots into universal, upgradable machines capable of performing diverse tasks in homes and workplaces.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
-
MacBooks have a reputation for being premium machines — and for a very good reason.—
Keumars Afifi-Sabet,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Gardner said the department has since developed a post-fire policy and mop-up procedures after the Mountain fire.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Shukurova did not follow standard surgical procedures, such as taking the victim's medical history or performing a basic physical exam, per the district attorney's press release.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Browsing gets assistant Gemini in Chrome introduces new creative tools as well.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
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Leadership teams are looking for the next initiative, and yet employees may be overwhelmed by a plethora of health tools, programs and perks.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Growth required systems and processes that protected the founder’s core values and vision.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The research team, led by Tianyi Ma, a professor at the School of Science at RMIT, combined the carbon removal and conversion processes into a single step, thereby reducing energy use and the complexity of deploying this process.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mechanisms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mechanisms. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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