timer

[ tahy-mer ]

noun

1. a person or thing that times. times.
2. a person who measures or records time. times.
3. a device for indicating or measuring elapsed time, times, as a stopwatch.
4. a device for controlling machinery, appliances, or the like, in a specified way at a predetermined time: times:

   Please put the roast in the oven and set the timer to cook it for two hours.

5. (in an internal-combustion engine) a set of points actuated by a cam, which causes the spark for igniting the charge at the instant required.

timer

/ ˈtaɪmə /

noun

1. a device for measuring, recording, or indicating time
2. a switch or regulator that causes a mechanism to operate at a specific time or at predetermined intervals
3. a person or thing that times

Word History and Origins

Origin of timer¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; time + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Although electronic chip timers record runners' completed laps, the unfinished final loop is measured - to three decimal places - by a race adjudicator with a wheel straight from a 1990s PE lesson.

From BBC

The parasocial relationship timer ran out when my sense of identity sharpened around 15.

From Salon

In addition to the explosives, authorities searched the older man's home and found timers, machetes and knives.

From Salon

Images shared online show a timer, which counts down to zero before normal functionality can resume.

From BBC

Once the balloons reached South Korean airspace, their timers released the plastic bags containing assorted rubbish, including scraps of used paper and cloth.

From New York Times

Related Words

• timepiece
• wristwatch