stopwatch

[stop-woch]

noun

1. a watch with a hand or hands that can be stopped or started at any instant, used for precise timing, as in races.

stopwatch

/ ˈstɒpˌwɒtʃ /

noun

1. a type of watch used for timing events, such as sporting events, accurately, having a device for stopping the hand or hands instantly

Word History and Origins

Origin of stopwatch¹

First recorded in 1730–40; stop + watch

Example Sentences

He urged factory managers to break down each task into its smallest motions, measure these with a stopwatch and then determine the “one best way” to perform the work.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

While it’s quicker and faster than its predecessors, much of the focus seems to be on delivering emotional content rather than stopwatch performance—most obviously, in the presence and sonority of the engine.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The stopwatch featured in the introduction to “60 Minutes” is strapped to a bomb when it appears on “South Park.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

First it was a pencil, paper and a stopwatch.

Read more on BBC

If you could tear your eyes away from the screen enough to check a stopwatch, not one minute goes by without a flourish that’s either funny, ridiculous, stunning or emotional.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• timepiece 
• wristwatch