rube
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This, of course, is an example of a Rube Goldberg machine—an overly complex mechanism that performs a simple task.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
The object of Mouse Trap, a board game featuring a Rube Goldberg-style contraption, is to catch plastic mice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
Next, Doc’s Rube Goldberg-ian breakfast contraption whirs to action with burned toast and a glop of overflowing dog food, implying that he and his dog Einstein have themselves been missing for a while.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
That frenzy to create a "mini-primary" or some kind of Rube Goldberg mechanism to pick a candidate was largely based on that knee-jerk opinion.
From Salon • Sep. 13, 2024
Jessie had built the water wall along the eastern facade of the brownstone, inspired by a science class during which her teacher showed them different cartoons of Rube Goldberg machines.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Vocabulary lists containing rube
Inherit the Wind
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Jonathan Demme (1944-2017) Tribute List
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Water for Elephants
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