Meaning & use
pneumatics
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Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
The branch of engineering that uses compressed air or gas to power and control machines.
Grammar: No plural and no article: say 'the field of pneumatics', not 'a pneumatics'.
Patterns
- use pneumatics in something
- a system based on pneumatics
Many factories rely on pneumatics to move parts along the production line.
The course covers hydraulics and pneumatics in the second year.
Pneumatics is often chosen for tools that must be lightweight and safe in wet conditions.
Common combinations
- pneumatics system
- The robot arm is driven by a pneumatics system.
- pneumatics and hydraulics
- Students learn both pneumatics and hydraulics before designing their own machines.
- the field of pneumatics
- She has worked in the field of pneumatics for over a decade.
Synonyms and how they differ
- air power
- A general everyday term for power from compressed air; pneumatics is the technical name for the engineering field.
Opposites
Word family
- pneumatic adjective
- Operated by air pressure, as in a pneumatic drill.
Commonly confused: pneumatics or pneumonia?
pneumatics vs pneumonia
Pneumonia is a serious lung illness; pneumatics is the engineering use of compressed air. They share the 'pneum-' spelling but are unrelated in meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pneumatics' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Pneumatics' is an uncountable technical noun and takes a singular verb, so 'Pneumatics is widely used...' is correct. Option 1 confuses it with 'pneumonia', and options 2 and 4 treat it as a plural or countable noun, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pneumatics”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.