typewriter
Americannoun
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typewriters
plural
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a machine for writing mechanically in letters and characters like those produced by printers' types.
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Printing. a type style that gives the appearance of typewritten copy.
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Older Use. a typist.
noun
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a keyboard machine for writing mechanically in characters resembling print. It may be operated entirely by hand ( manual typewriter ) or be powered by electricity ( electric typewriter )
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printing a style of type resembling typescript
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of typewriter
Explanation
A typewriter is an old-fashioned machine for printing letters, school assignments, and other written works. Each key on a typewriter prints a single letter, number, or symbol in ink on a piece of paper. There are similarities between a computer keyboard and a typewriter — you use both by pressing one key at a time. But instead of watching a cursor move across a screen as you type (moving backwards easily, automatically deleting mistakes), a typewriter makes a physical mark on paper. Instead of printing your letter out (or emailing it), when you use a typewriter, you create the final product as you go, simply pulling it out of the typewriter when you finish.
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.
See Examples For:
She also turned what used to be a gun closet into a “vault” filled with family heirlooms, including a typewriter, perfume, photos, jewelry and a flask.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
The typewriter as a teaching tool in the age of AI.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
The Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul proudly advertises its “Agatha Christie Room,” complete with a replica of the black Underwood typewriter Christie used.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
By 2010, nearly every college and applicant had gone online, with its innumerable conveniences: no issue making corrections, no hassle feeding pages into a typewriter, no trips to the post office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
For each Junior Championship win he was awarded a typewriter, as well as a trophy and a parchment certificate with his name imprinted.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
By then, standard-issue electric typewriters and six-ply carbon paper had been replaced by far less visually interesting computers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
And even though they’re on deadline, they’re afforded ample time to collect data and conduct interviews before returning to their typewriters.
From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026
By the early 20th century, typewriters and telephones were standard office equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Videos on Swift’s social media accounts, showing antique typewriters and globes with pins, were dissected for clues about her music.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
They looked like typewriters but with rotors and bulbs that lit up.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
