time machine

American  

noun

time machines plural

1. a theoretical apparatus that would convey one to the past or future.

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time machine British  

noun

1. (in science fiction) a machine in which people or objects can be transported into the past or the future

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• time machines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of time machine

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

time machine

McCartney’s musical time machine eventually alights on “Salesman Saint,” a reference to his father, Jim Mac, who died in 1976.

From Salon ● May 12, 2026

But his creation left an indelible mark on American culture—thanks to its iconic role as the time machine in “Back to the Future.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

Imagine what it would be like to step in a time machine and jump 50 years into the future.

From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026

Both a discovery and a reemergence, “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” is like a time machine moving in multiple directions at once.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026

“Well, let’s say you finish your time machine in fifty years. You’d be—” “Sixty-two,” I said.

From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead