Rube Goldberg Machine

Pronunciation: /ruːb ˈɡoʊldbɜːrɡ məˈʃiːn/

Definitions of Rube Goldberg machine

noun a machine intentionally designed to perform a simple task in an indirect and overly complicated way

Example Sentences

A1 A Rube Goldberg machine is a complicated contraption that performs a simple task.

A2 Children enjoy building Rube Goldberg machines out of everyday objects like dominoes and marbles.

B1 The engineering students were tasked with designing a Rube Goldberg machine to demonstrate principles of physics.

B2 The Rube Goldberg machine featured in the viral video took months to build and had multiple moving parts.

C1 The Rube Goldberg machine competition attracted participants from all over the world, showcasing their creativity and technical skills.

C2 The intricate Rube Goldberg machine was a marvel of engineering, with each component carefully designed to trigger the next step in the chain reaction.

Examples of Rube Goldberg machine in a Sentence

formal The engineering students built an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine for their science fair project.

informal We spent all weekend setting up that crazy Rube Goldberg machine in the backyard.

slang Check out this sick Rube Goldberg contraption we made out of random stuff we found in the garage!

figurative Her plan to get him to ask her out was like a Rube Goldberg machine, with each step depending on the one before it.

Grammatical Forms of Rube Goldberg machine

• plural: Rube Goldberg machines
• comparative: more Rube Goldberg machine
• superlative: most Rube Goldberg machine
• present tense: creates Rube Goldberg machine
• future tense: will create Rube Goldberg machine
• perfect tense: has created Rube Goldberg machine
• continuous tense: is creating Rube Goldberg machine
• singular: Rube Goldberg machine
• positive degree: very Rube Goldberg machine
• infinitive: to create Rube Goldberg machine
• gerund: creating Rube Goldberg machine
• participle: created Rube Goldberg machine

Origin and Evolution of Rube Goldberg machine

First Known Use: 1931 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The term 'Rube Goldberg machine' was inspired by the cartoons of American cartoonist Rube Goldberg, known for drawing overly complex machines to perform simple tasks.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe overly complicated machines in cartoons, the term 'Rube Goldberg machine' has evolved to refer to any machine or contraption that is unnecessarily complex in design and operation.