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

See Examples For:

alarm clock

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

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

I get up at 6:30 and then I hit my alarm clock for another 10 minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

That’s why I set my alarm clock for 4 A.M.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Related Words

• clock radio