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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

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

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026

By putting on a uniform and re-creating the life of those soldiers, one could step into a time machine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

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

Leo wished he could invent a time machine.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

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