ticker

American  

[tik-er] / ˈtɪk ər /

noun

1. a telegraphic receiving instrument that automatically prints stock prices, market reports, etc., on a paper tape.

2. a person or thing that ticks.

3. Slang. a watch.

4. Slang. the heart.

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ticker British  

/ ˈtɪkə /

noun

1. slang

   1. the heart

   2. a watch

2. a person or thing that ticks

3. stock exchange the US word for tape machine

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Etymology

Origin of ticker

1820–30; 1880–85 ticker for def. 4; tick ¹ + -er ¹

Explanation

A device that transmits and displays stock prices is called a ticker. The narrow strip of paper on which this information was printed prior to the 1960s was called ticker tape. The financial districts of cities once had masses of used ticker tape—in old movies and newsreels, you can see ticker tape being tossed from windows as confetti during parades. Today stock tickers transmit information electronically. The name ticker comes from the sound the original machines made, similar to a ticking clock (something that, along with your beating heart, can be called a ticker colloquially).

Example Sentences

Sports reporting could be generated from box scores, financial reporting from ticker data and movie reviews from captions.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

“STMicroelectronics’ Guidance Is Better Than Expected — Market Talk,” at 0823 GMT, included an incorrect ticker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The Roundhill Memory ETF, ticker DRAM, gathered over $1 billion in assets in less than two weeks after its April 2 launch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

X-Energy is looking to raise about $700 million at a valuation that could exceed $7 billion when it goes public on the Nasdaq with the ticker XE.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

The telephone and the big board and the ticker were all fakes, of course.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

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