ˈmɛkənɪzm the technical aspects of doing something a mechanism of social control mechanisms of communication the mechanics of prose style device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function (philosophy) the philosophical theory that all phenomena can be explained in terms of physical or biological causes a natural object resembling a machine in structure or function the mechanism of the ear the mechanism of infection the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction he determined unique mechanisms for the photochemical reactions