cuckoo clock

American  

noun

1. a wall or shelf clock, often carved and decorated, that announces the hours by a sound like the call of the cuckoo, usually accompanied by the appearance of an imitation bird through a little door.

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cuckoo clock British  

noun

1. a clock in which a mechanical cuckoo pops out with a sound like a cuckoo's call when the clock strikes

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Etymology

Origin of cuckoo clock

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

"Switzerland has nurtured many unexpected good things -- Albert Einstein's physics, the world economy, and the cuckoo clock leap to mind -- and is again helping the world appreciate improbable people and ideas."

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

A hand-carved cuckoo clock adds a bit of humor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2025

Her latest, “Time Is a Flower,” opens with a two-page spread that shows an inquisitive child gazing up at a cuckoo clock.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2021

Ruthanne Deutsch, who gave her first Supreme Court argument from her home in Virginia, said that in preparation, her husband silenced everything in the house that could make noise, including a cuckoo clock.

From Washington Times • Mar. 16, 2021

When my friends come over to play, they all like our cuckoo clock.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung