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

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

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

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

And then I’ll go “shh” and she’ll stop for a few minutes and the alarm clock goes off and then boom, we launch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

She set the alarm clock for five, only to wake to the sound of Farmer’s voice, singing up to her from the courtyard below.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• clock radio