Meaning & use
mechanism
A system of parts working together within a machine, or a process by which something happens.
See it in a sentence
A small mechanism inside the clock controls how the hands move each second.
Researchers are still studying the exact mechanism by which the drug relieves pain.
A note on using this word
Mechanism can describe literal machine parts or, more abstractly, the process behind a natural, social, or biological event.
Words with a similar meaning
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