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:
They’ll respect your affection for an old Underwood typewriter while focusing on the practical question of where it’s actually going to go.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Other highlights include the manual typewriter she used to write her correspondence and autobiography, jewellery, and classical guitars.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Starting in boyhood, an American designer and artist named Donald Evans created thousands of fictitious stamps from nonexistent countries, using a typewriter to punch out the perforations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The fair also showcased Thomas Edison’s automatic telegraph, as well as machinery such as the typewriter and calculator and consumer-packaged goods such as Heinz tomato ketchup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
The door was closed, and I could hear my father working at his typewriter inside.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
“All the typewriters were stolen; you couldn’t work for a more shady person,” he told the podcast.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 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
The same thing happened when assembly lines reshaped manufacturing, when robotics entered the factory floor, when computers displaced typewriters, and when the internet placed a printing press on every desk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
There must be an area in Mar-a-Lago where thousands of monkeys work on typewriters.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2024
The typewriters were not returned to the Voice of the People, but instead were handed over to the rental company that owned them.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
