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

After all, it’s not every day you find Jessica Chastain rotating on a turntable like an angry bird in a giant cuckoo clock.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2023

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

A husband takes a cuckoo clock apart while home alone.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2020

Heidi has to wind the cuckoo clock continually to keep it running continuously.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner