time machine

American

noun

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

time machine British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of time machine

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Imagine a time machine, like Doc Brown’s DeLorean in “Back to the Future,” that could transport us to the best possible times in history to invest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

The year is 2026, and we still haven't invented a working time machine.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026

Verifying the existence of an event as an ongoing object would require something like a time machine to go and observe it now.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

“What would you do with a time machine if you had one?”

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023