clockwork

[ klok-wurk ]

noun

1. the mechanism of a clock.
2. any mechanism similar to that of a clock.

clockwork

/ ˈklɒkˌwɜːk /

noun

1. the mechanism of a clock
2. any similar mechanism, as in a wind-up toy
3. like clockwork
   with complete regularity and precision

Word History and Origins

Origin of clockwork¹

First recorded in 1620–30; clock ¹ + work

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. like clockwork, with perfect regularity or precision:

   The launching of the spacecraft went off like clockwork.

Example Sentences

It’s a narrative clockwork where dialogue also has a more important role.”

From Los Angeles Times

When he was making Zoo Quest, cameras would only film for 40 seconds before the clockwork motor ran out.

From BBC

But earthquakes don’t happen like clockwork, and scientists cannot say for certain when the Raymond fault will rupture next.

From Los Angeles Times

Because environmental cues are different in Los Angeles than in the jacaranda’s native savannas of Argentina and Brazil, the trees do not flower here by clockwork.

From Los Angeles Times

Dudamel’s clockwork sophistication was better suited to the concert’s closer, Ravel’s beloved “Boléro,” in which he methodically developed tonal richness, sculpted the sound and dialed up the intensity over the piece’s 15-minute span.

From New York Times