Cog example sentences
Related (10): gear, wheel, sprocket, mechanism, machinery, component, part, tooth, mechanical, system
"Cog" Example Sentences
Common Phrases
- a cog in the machine
- a cog in the wheel
- turn like a cog
- cog and wheel
- slip a cog
- every cog
- the cog turns
Examples by Level
A1
- The cog is part of the machine.
- A cog turns when the wheel moves.
A2
- The broken cog stopped the whole clock from working.
- She felt like just a cog in a big factory.
B1
- Every cog has to work together, or the whole system breaks down.
- He didn't want to be treated as just another cog in the company.
B2
- The smallest cog in the transmission turned out to be the most critical component in the entire assembly.
- She'd spent years as a cog in their operation before realizing she wanted something more meaningful.
C1
- What we often fail to recognize is that being a cog doesn't diminish your value — it simply means you're part of something larger than yourself.
- The machinery's efficiency depended entirely on each cog maintaining its precise tolerance, a metaphor not lost on the factory workers below.
C2
- There's a particular kind of resignation that comes with accepting you're merely a cog — not bitter, just quietly aware that your individual ambitions matter far less than the system's continuity.
- He'd made peace with being a cog long before most people even acknowledge the machinery they're trapped inside.
Examples by Scenario
🏠 Everyday Life
- The cog in our kitchen clock finally broke, so now we have no idea what time it is.
- My kid asked me why I always seem so tired, and I told her it's because I feel like a cog that never gets to rest.
💼 Workplace
- During the meeting, my boss made it clear that nobody's irreplaceable — we're all just a cog in the operation.
- I realized I'd become a cog when they replaced me without even asking if I wanted to stay.
📊 Business
- The company's growth strategy depends on treating each employee as a replaceable cog rather than investing in real talent development.
- Our supply chain is only as strong as its weakest cog, which is why we're auditing every vendor this quarter.
🛒 Buying / Shopping
- I spent an hour looking for a replacement cog for my old bicycle before I just gave up and bought a new one.
- The hardware store didn't have the exact cog I needed, so I had to order it online and wait two weeks.
✈️ Travel
- The train broke down because a cog in the engine had come loose — we were stuck for six hours.
- Traveling with someone who treats you like a cog in their itinerary gets old pretty fast.
📚 Education
- The teacher explained how each cog in a clock represents a different part of the learning process.
- My daughter's school treats students like a cog in a standardized testing machine rather than individuals.
❤️ Relationships
- We got divorced because he made me feel like a cog in his life, not a partner.
- She realized that in their relationship, she'd become a cog — doing all the emotional labor while he coasted.
📰 News / Politics
- The scandal revealed how each cog in the government's corruption network was carefully placed to maintain the system.
- Activists argue that ordinary citizens are treated as a cog in a political machine designed to serve the wealthy.
💻 Technology
- The AI system works by treating each data point as a cog in a larger predictive algorithm.
- The software update broke because one cog in the code was incompatible with the rest of the system.
📝 Formal Writing
- The study demonstrates that organizational efficiency increases when each cog is properly aligned with the overall strategic objectives.
- In complex systems, the failure of a single cog can cascade through multiple departments, resulting in significant operational disruption.