typewriter
Americannoun
-
typewriters
plural
-
a machine for writing mechanically in letters and characters like those produced by printers' types.
-
Printing. a type style that gives the appearance of typewritten copy.
-
Older Use. a typist.
noun
-
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 )
-
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:
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 court heard the accompanying paperwork had been typed using a typewriter on paper embossed with an antiques dealers' logo – and even a nine-pence stamp.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
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
But then he grabbed his typewriter and jacket and stormed out.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
By then, standard-issue electric typewriters and six-ply carbon paper had been replaced by far less visually interesting computers.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
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
A beefy lance corporal with a sledgehammer was smashing typewriters and mimeograph machines.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
