timer

[tahy-mer]

noun

1. a person or thing that times. times.

2. a person who measures or records time. times.

3. a device for indicating or measuring elapsed time, times, as a stopwatch.

4. a device for controlling machinery, appliances, or the like, in a specified way at a predetermined time: times.

   Please put the roast in the oven and set the timer to cook it for two hours.

5. (in an internal-combustion engine) a set of points actuated by a cam, which causes the spark for igniting the charge at the instant required.

timer

/ ˈtaɪmə /

noun

1. a device for measuring, recording, or indicating time

2. a switch or regulator that causes a mechanism to operate at a specific time or at predetermined intervals

3. a person or thing that times

Word History and Origins

Origin of timer¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; time + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Millennia before the Clocky alarm or smartphone screen timers, philosophers grappled with the same question: How can we live with intention and follow through?

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Leaving electric blankets or heated throws on for too long can also be dangerous, so use the timer function.

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Your heating system may have a timer function which lets you programme particular temperatures at different times of the day.

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Most people advise 30 seconds for first timers and three minutes max.

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A timer started beeping, and Leo glanced back at the kitchen.

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Related Words

• timepiece 
• wristwatch