time zone

American  

noun

1. one of the 24 regions or divisions of the globe approximately coinciding with meridians at successive hours from the observatory at Greenwich, England.

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time zone British  

noun

1. a region throughout which the same standard time is used. There are 24 time zones in the world, demarcated approximately by meridians at 15° intervals, an hour apart See also zonetime

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time zone Scientific  

1. Any of the 24 divisions of the Earth's surface used to determine the local time for any given locality. Each zone is roughly 15° of longitude in width, with local variations for economic and political convenience. Local time is one hour ahead for each time zone as one travels east and one hour behind for each time zone as one travels west. The International Meridian Conference in 1884 established the prime meridian as the starting point for the 24 zones.

2. See more at International Date Line standard time

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Etymology

Origin of time zone

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

time zone

When I was back East, we’d be in the same time zone and FaceTime eight hours a night, talking until we could barely keep our eyes open.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

I slept a full night and adjusted to the new time zone faster than on previous trips.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The Times Square Ball in New York will drop eight times to signal midnight in every US time zone.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

By the time Bridges hoists a 3-pointer from the corner, Wembanyama may as well be in another time zone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

I hadn’t yet adjusted to the time zone.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer