The Jacquard machine is a device fitted to a loom that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damask, and matelassé. The resulting ensemble of the loom and Jacquard machine is called a Jacquard loom.

The machine was invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804, based on earlier inventions by the Frenchmen Basile Bouchon (1725), Jean Baptiste Falcon (1728), and Jacques Vaucanson (1740). A "chain of cards controlled the machine"; several punched cards laced together into a continuous sequence. Multiple holes were punched on each card, with one complete card corresponding to one design row.

The Jacquard process and the necessary loom attachment are named after their inventor. This mechanism is probably one of the essential weaving innovations, as Jacquard shedding made possible the automatic production of unlimited varieties of complex pattern weaving. The term "Jacquard" is not specific or limited to any loom but refers to the added control mechanism that automates the patterning.