French word

machin

Pronunciation

IPA/maʃɛ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounthing

Example

C'est un machin bizarre.

It's a strange thing.

Illustration for machin (thing)

More examples

Donne-moi ce machin.

Give me that thing.

Core concept

An unnamed item or individual treated as a vaguely identified thing in conversation.

Common phrases

  • un machin

    a thing

  • ce machin

    that thing

  • le machin

    the thing

Similar words

chose: A basic term for a thing or matter without specifying its type or name.
truc: An informal term for an object or event with no clear shape or purpose.

Definition in French

S'utilise comme mot fourre-tout pour désigner quelque chose d'indéterminé, un objet, ou familièrement une personne quand le mot exact fait défaut.

Word origin

Machin derives from machine and acquired its current placeholder use as a shortened colloquial form.

Usage tips

  • With a demonstrative, ce machin-là often adds strong pointing or emphasis, while machin for a person can sound dismissive.

Other meanings

  • what's-his-namenoun
  • gadgetnoun

Word lists with this word