apparatus

IPA/ˌæpəˈreɪtəs/
KK[ˌæpɚˈætəs]IPA/ˌæpəˈrætəs/

apparatus — noun

  • apparatussingular
  • apparatusesplural

1. the collection of instruments, tools, or machines that someone uses to carry out

1.nounC1
Definition

the collection of instruments, tools, or machines that someone uses to carry out a specific job, scientific test, or physical activity — such as the gear a diver wears or the bars and rings used in gymnastics.

Example

Dr. Hadiya set up the laboratory apparatus before her chemistry students arrived.

scientific context: laboratory apparatus

The firefighters wore breathing apparatus as they searched the burning warehouse.

compound: breathing apparatus

Common collocations
  • scientific apparatus
  • breathing apparatus
  • laboratory apparatus
  • a piece of apparatus
  • specialised apparatus
Synonyms
  • equipment

    more general; covers any tools or supplies, not only specialised ones

  • gear

    informal; suggests personal kit a person carries or wears

  • instrument

    usually a single precise device rather than a whole set

Grammar Patterns

a piece of apparatus

apparatus for + -ing

Usage Note

Often uncountable when referring to a whole set ('the apparatus is ready'); use 'a piece of apparatus' to count individual items. Common in scientific, medical, sports, and emergency-services writing.

Common Mistakes

I bought three apparatuses for the lab.
I bought three pieces of apparatus for the lab.
apparatus is usually uncountable, so count it with 'pieces'.
The breathing apparatus are heavy.
The breathing apparatus is heavy.
treat it as singular when referring to one set.

2. the network of offices, officials, and procedures that lets a government, politi

2.nounC2
Definition

the network of offices, officials, and procedures that lets a government, political party, or large institution actually run — for example the ministries, courts, and security services that keep a state functioning day to day.

Example

After the revolution, the new leaders began rebuilding the apparatus of the state.

fixed phrase: apparatus of the state

The party's apparatus stretched from village offices to the national headquarters in Beijing.

political context: party apparatus

Common collocations
  • the apparatus of the state
  • party apparatus
  • security apparatus
  • bureaucratic apparatus
  • repressive apparatus
Synonyms
  • machinery

    very close in meaning; often interchangeable in 'the machinery of government'

  • bureaucracy

    stresses paperwork and slow procedures rather than power

  • establishment

    stresses the people in power rather than the system itself

Grammar Patterns

the apparatus of [the state/government/the party]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (physical tools): here the 'machinery' is metaphorical — people, offices, and procedures. Subject is usually a state, party, or large institution. Frequently used with 'of' + a power-related noun (state, party, government, control).

Common Mistakes

The school has a strong apparatus.
The school has a strong administration.
this sense is reserved for political or state-level structures, not ordinary institutions.
A police apparatus arrested him.
The police apparatus targeted dissidents across the country.
this sense refers to the whole system, not a single unit acting on one person.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to things people use to do a job, but the focus differs. 'Equipment' is the broadest and most neutral — it covers anything from office supplies to factory machines. 'Apparatus' sounds more technical and is preferred when the items form a specialised set, especially in science, medicine, sport, or emergency work: 'breathing apparatus', 'laboratory apparatus'. 'Gear' is informal and suggests personal kit that someone carries or wears, like climbing gear or fishing gear. 'Instrument' usually points to a single precise tool, often for measuring or performing a delicate task — a surgical instrument, a musical instrument. So a chemist might unpack new equipment, set up the apparatus on the bench, pick up an instrument to take a reading, and grab her gear before heading home.

apparatus ↗equipment ↗gear ↗instrument ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • breathing apparatus
  • laboratory apparatus
  • security apparatus
  • party apparatus
  • state apparatus

Phrases

  • a piece of apparatus
  • the apparatus of the state
  • set up the apparatus

Prepositions

  • apparatus for
  • the apparatus of

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed into English in the late 1620s from Latin 'apparatus', meaning 'preparation' or 'equipment ready for use'. The Latin noun came from the verb 'apparare' ('to prepare'), formed from 'ad-' ('toward') and 'parare' ('to make ready'). The original sense was the act of getting things ready; the meaning then shifted to the things themselves — first the tools laid out for a task, and later, by metaphor, the network of offices that keeps a government 'ready to run'.