alarm clock

American  

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of alarm clock

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

She was joined on the red sofa by her husband Steve, who joked that the "the first thing to go" in their new lives going forward would be the "the alarm clock".

From BBC

My alarm didn’t go off, and since I’m the only one in the house with an alarm clock, we were all late.

From Literature

I’m willing to negotiate a trade right now: Give us decent bedside charging, and I will gratefully relinquish every last hotel alarm clock on the planet.

From The Wall Street Journal

I took the bulky old alarm clock she had brought with her.

From Literature

These alarm clocks have novel ways to rouse deep sleepers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• clock radio