chronograph
Americannoun
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a timepiece fitted with a recording device, as a stylus and rotating drum, used to mark the exact instant of an occurrence, especially in astronomy.
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a timepiece capable of measuring extremely brief intervals of time accurately, as a stopwatch able to record fractions of a second as well as elapsed time.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an accurate instrument for recording small intervals of time
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any timepiece, esp a wristwatch designed for maximum accuracy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of chronograph
Explanation
A chronograph is a device for measuring time. But before you say "so, a clock?" be aware that it's a little bit more specific than that. A chronograph is not just used to tell you what time it is; it's used to measure time with great precision. Think stopwatch, not grandfather clock. Chronographs are used in sports like racing, where a one-second time difference could be what decides whether you've won or lost. They're also useful in astronomy, where it's extremely important to record what time a particular observation occurs down to the last second.
Vocabulary lists containing chronograph
It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: chron
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Launched in 1941, it was the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph.
From Barron's • Nov. 9, 2025
Another inspires a short rhapsody detailing the six-figure worth of a Richard Mille Felipe Massa automatic chronograph with a rose gold skeleton and a flyback function.
From Salon • Apr. 11, 2025
I consistently saw all three blasters exceeding 100 feet per second on my chronograph, with the Rush-40 and Siege-50 regularly crossing the 115 feet per second mark.
From The Verge • Sep. 8, 2021
The Nautilus 5980, a rose gold chronograph sports watch from Patek Philippe that has a retail price of $85,000, can seldom be found on 47th Street for much less than $200,000.
From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2021
She was wearing a wristwatch, a military-looking one that looked rather like a navigator’s chronograph.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
