sundial

American  

[suhn-dahy-uhl, -dahyl] / ˈsʌnˌdaɪ əl, -ˌdaɪl /

noun

1. an instrument that indicates the time of day by means of the position, on a graduated plate or surface, of the shadow of the gnomon as it is cast by the sun.

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sundial British  

/ ˈsʌnˌdaɪəl /

noun

1. a device indicating the time during the hours of sunlight by means of a stationary arm (the gnomon ) that casts a shadow onto a plate or surface marked in hours

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Etymology

Origin of sundial

First recorded in 1570–80; sun + dial

Example Sentences

A mere 12% of Americans actively favor the sundial shuffle, 47% are opposed and 40% are neutral, according to a 2025 poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

You’re watching a ticker that moves like a sundial.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 12, 2025

There are secrets, a garden replete with a sundial and creepy statues and a house that traps its residents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025

Place that shade on a sundial and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex could time her bakes to it with the utmost accuracy.

From Salon • Aug. 27, 2025

Here was Ahmad doing his prayers, posing beside a sundial Babi and he had built when he was twelve.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• timer