as in gadget
an interesting and often novel device with a practical use
built a contraption for automatically buttering toast
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Recent Examples of contraption
The contraption was loaded with a piece of paper with questions, and students pressed keys indicating the correct answer, at which point, another question would appear.
—
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Among the iconic polymath’s many (many) achievements, the 15th century thinker is famous for devising an angled contraption to help his experiments exploring friction physics.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 25 Feb. 2026
The Nasher includes one of John Chamberlain’s sculptures assembled from twisted metal parts, and a motorized Jean Tinguely contraption of miscellaneous rusty metal bits.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026
These genius contraptions help remove moisture from the air and can make a big difference in cooling down the house.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contraption
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Among the iconic polymath’s many (many) achievements, the 15th century thinker is famous for devising an angled contraption to help his experiments exploring friction physics.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 25 Feb. 2026
The Nasher includes one of John Chamberlain’s sculptures assembled from twisted metal parts, and a motorized Jean Tinguely contraption of miscellaneous rusty metal bits.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026
These genius contraptions help remove moisture from the air and can make a big difference in cooling down the house.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contraption
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contraption
gadget
Noun
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Apple would go on to revolutionize the tech industry, creating innovative, intuitive and beautiful gadgets billions of people would buy again and again.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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That is a more useful place to start than a new supplement or sleep gadget.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contraption.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contraption. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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