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

Condit screamed to her mother to call 911 and hurried to collect a few belongings: documents, pillows, a cuckoo clock.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2025

They work together like gears in a cuckoo clock.

From New York Times • Jul. 31, 2020

There was a clock stopped inside the home at 5:20, but it was a small cuckoo clock in the Branagan kitchen.

From Washington Times • Mar. 23, 2019

The modern cuckoo clock is a simplified version of these ‘automatic’ mechanisms.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton