alarm clock

noun

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

alarm clock

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of alarm clock¹

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

I woke up the next morning without an alarm clock, excited and a little nervous.

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Now that I’m back on Broadway, the alarm clock might move up to at least 7.

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"The alarm clock generation is now being replaced by an anxiety generation," Anderson told a press conference, adding that people should be going to work instead of "staying at home all day".

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However analogue clocks will need switching manually, especially important if you are relying on an old-fashioned alarm clock to wake you up.

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Sunrise alarm clocks can help with that too - they mimic daylight and start gradually getting brighter before they ring.

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Related Words

• clock radio