typewriter

American  

[tahyp-rahy-ter] / ˈtaɪpˌraɪ tər /

noun

typewriters plural

1. a machine for writing mechanically in letters and characters like those produced by printers' types.

2. Printing. a type style that gives the appearance of typewritten copy.

3. Older Use. a typist.

---

typewriter British  

/ ˈtaɪpˌraɪtə /

noun

1. 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 )

2. printing a style of type resembling typescript

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• typewriters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of typewriter

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; type + writer

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

See Examples For:

typewriter typewriters

For Nancy’s 70th birthday, Debbie bought her friend a necklace with a pendant holding a Shift Lock key from a typewriter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 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

He has always started his novels in notebooks, he says, before typing a first draft on his trusted typewriter, then moving onto a computer.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026

Unlike the faint scurry raised by fingers against a plastic computer keyboard, the smack and clatter of a typewriter suggests that you're actually building something.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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

Like turntables, typewriters, tiki bars and film cameras, these midcentury motels are back, seducing millennials, Gen Z and baby boomers like the character Johnny Rose on the beloved TV series “Schitt’s Creek.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025

“I agree that typewriters are archaic, and it’s unfair. We can look and chew gum at the same time … but many in the state government have a scarcity mentality,” Salazar told me.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2024

There were several rows of tables with typewriters, spaced out every three feet.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez