cuckoo clock

American  

noun

1. a wall or shelf clock, often carved and decorated, that announces the hours by a sound like the call of the cuckoo, usually accompanied by the appearance of an imitation bird through a little door.

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cuckoo clock British  

noun

1. a clock in which a mechanical cuckoo pops out with a sound like a cuckoo's call when the clock strikes

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Etymology

Origin of cuckoo clock

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cuckoo clock

"Switzerland has nurtured many unexpected good things -- Albert Einstein's physics, the world economy, and the cuckoo clock leap to mind -- and is again helping the world appreciate improbable people and ideas."

From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026

They work together like gears in a cuckoo clock.

From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2020

A husband takes a cuckoo clock apart while home alone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2020

When Krista Box was growing up, there was a cuckoo clock on the dining room wall.

From Washington Post ● May 27, 2019

When my friends come over to play, they all like our cuckoo clock.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung