cogs

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.

Genes are important, of course, but they’re like cogs in an engine — they’re aren’t steering the ship and we are much more than vessels for our DNA.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

This was an era when England chopped and changed players frequently, using 29 in the 1989 Ashes, but Smith soon established himself as one of the important cogs around which the team was built.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

Ships like these are allegedly cogs in a maritime smuggling network known as the "shadow fleet", skirting sanctions by passing themselves off as cargo vessels on legitimate business.

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

But they are important cogs in the markets they serve, and employ large numbers of people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

When he saw them from above he always thought the travelers looked like cogs in an intricate, swirling machine.

From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick