timekeeper

[ tahym-kee-per ]

noun

1. a person or thing that keeps time. times.
2. an official appointed to time, times, regulate, and record the duration of a sports contest or its component parts, as to give the official time times of a race, assure that a round of boxing is ended exactly on time, times, or announce to football, basketball, hockey, etc., teams the amount of time times left to play.
3. a timepiece:

   This watch is a good timekeeper.

4. a person employed to keep account of the hours of work done by others.
5. a person who beats time times in music.

timekeeper

/ ˈtaɪmˌkiːpə /

noun

1. a person or thing that keeps or records time
2. an employee who maintains a record of the hours worked by the other employees
3. a device for indicating time; timepiece
4. an employee with respect to his or her record of punctuality

   a good timekeeper

Derived Forms

• ˈtimeˌkeeping, noun

Other Words From

• timekeeping noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of timekeeper¹

First recorded in 1680–90; time + keeper

Example Sentences

Also, every few years timekeepers insert leap seconds into our official timescales to make sure they don’t drift out of sync with our planet.

From Singularity Hub 

International timekeepers have dabbled with the idea of a negative leap second at the end of December.

From Popular-Science

Such a precise timekeeper requires a super precise reference.

From Science News For Students

As the games’ “official timekeeper,” Omega, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, was granted the right to flash its emblem on millions of screens around the world as Bolt made history.

From Quartz

The timekeeper I took on shore to ascertain its rate, and other instruments to make the necessary astronomical observations.

From Project Gutenberg

On the 13th I had a number of lunar observations for the longitude, the mean of which agreed exactly with the timekeeper.

From Project Gutenberg

I had however two sets of double altitudes and a good altitude exactly at noon according to the timekeeper.

From Project Gutenberg

The fact that this egg-shaped concoction was no great timekeeper was a secondary matter.

From Project Gutenberg

He was a fine coachman, a good nurse, and an admirable timekeeper.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• timer