clockwork

noun

clock·​work ˈkläk-ˌwərk 

1

: the inner workings of something

2

: the machinery (such as springs and a train of gears) that run a clock

also : a similar mechanism running a mechanical device (such as a toy)

3

: the precision, regularity, or absence of variation associated with a clock or clockwork

a clockwork operation

—used in the phrase like clockwork to describe something that happens or works in a regular and exact way

This type of star has a wonderful property: Its brightness waxes and wanes like clockwork…

—Ron Cowen

If everything went like clockwork, it would have taken a year to get items in stores.

—Brooks Barnes

Examples of clockwork in a Sentence

the clockwork inside a mechanical toy soldier

Recent Examples on the Web

The next morning, like clockwork, a boat pulls up and the game takes a turn. —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 23 Oct. 2024

Like clockwork, the adults grab their seat and linger around a dinner table, a fire pit, or la sala to enjoy the sobremesa hasta que el cuerpo aguante. —Jasmin Velasco, refinery29.com, 22 Oct. 2024

While the main iPhone line is refreshed each year like clockwork, Apple’s mid-range iPhone SE has only seen three versions since the first model was revealed in 2016. —Ewan Spence, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Wilder’s masterpiece, now at the Barrymore, directed by Kenny Leon, is our premier American play, which is another way of saying that it’s performed like clockwork in every high school across the country. —Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

clockwork

noun

clock·​work ˈkläk-ˌwərk 

: machinery (as in a mechanical toy) containing a set of small cogwheels