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

Mr. Stoddard sells the occasional vintage alarm clock through his store and website.

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

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

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

I glance at the little digital alarm clock set on the nightstand between our beds; it’s two in the morning.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• clock radio