alarm clock

American  

noun

alarm clocks plural

1. a clock with a bell or buzzer that can be set to sound at a particular time, as to awaken someone.

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alarm clock British  

noun

1. a clock with a mechanism that sounds at a set time: used esp for waking a person up

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• alarm clocks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of alarm clock

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

Not necessarily, I suspect, due to the near-extinction of the alarm clock.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Klugo’s Bluetooth alarm clock isn’t portable, and the hotel alarms ring too softly for him to hear.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

My first alarm clock came from my extravagant godmother—childless and incapable of giving presents she wouldn’t use herself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

His alarm clock, a big and bulky machine that’s Bluetooth-connected to the house’s fire alarm, rattles his room until he finally shuts it off.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

It happened again in mid-May, despite the alarm clock I borrowed from O’Dell.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• clock radio