VCR

American  

1. videocassette recorder: an electronic apparatus capable of recording television programs or other signals onto videocassettes and playing them back through a television receiver.

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VCR British  

abbreviation

1. video cassette recorder

2. visual control room (at an airfield)

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Example Sentences

“The minute you can get a $99 VCR at Urban Outfitters, as you can with a record player, then the sky’s the limit.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Here, Tuason cleverly lifts a conceit from “The Ring,” where a cursed videotape gave the viewer seven days to live after popping it into the VCR.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

The VCR transformed Americans from passive viewers into active curators of their entertainment, laying the groundwork for everything from mixtapes to Netflix.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

He started in 1988, back when “machine learning” meant teaching your VCR to record “Cheers.”

From MarketWatch • Nov. 15, 2025

“He’s watching TV ... no, he’s running a VCR, in the dark, in another place.”

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer