Meaning & use
mechanic
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person whose job is to repair and take care of machines, especially car and truck engines.
Grammar: Countable noun: a mechanic, two mechanics. Often used with 'car' or 'garage': a car mechanic, a garage mechanic.
Patterns
- a car mechanic
- a mechanic at a garage
- take something to a mechanic
The mechanic said the brakes needed replacing.
She works as a mechanic at a local garage.
My brother is a mechanic and fixed my car for free.
nounpluralfigurative
The way something works or the basic parts of a system, often used in the plural.
Grammar: Usually plural 'mechanics' when talking about how a system or process works; singular 'mechanic' is rare in this sense.
Patterns
- the mechanics of something
- understand the mechanics of something
The report explains the mechanics of the election process.
He is interested in the mechanics of how the brain stores memories.
Word forms
| plural | mechanics |
|---|
Common combinations
- car mechanic
- The car mechanic found a leak in the radiator.
- garage mechanic
- A garage mechanic can usually fix that in an hour.
- skilled mechanic
- You need a skilled mechanic to work on this old engine.
- take something to a mechanic
- I took the truck to a mechanic because it was making a strange noise.
Synonyms and how they differ
- technician
- Technician is wider and often suggests more specialized or electronic work; a mechanic usually works with engines and moving parts.
- repairman
- Repairman is older and less common now; it can refer to someone who fixes household items, not just vehicles.
- engineer
- An engineer usually designs or plans machines rather than doing hands-on repair, so it is not a direct synonym.
Word family
- mechanical adjective
- Relating to machines or done by a machine.
- mechanics noun
- The science of forces and movement, or the way something works.
- mechanism noun
- A part or set of parts that makes a machine work.
Commonly confused: mechanic or mechanism?
mechanic vs mechanism
A mechanism is a part or system inside a machine; a mechanic is the person who repairs it.
Practice
My car won't start, so I'm going to take it to a ______.
Choose one answer.
'Mechanic' is the person who repairs cars. 'Mechanical' is an adjective, 'mechanism' is a part, and 'mechanics' (plural) refers to how something works, so none fits after 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mechanic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.