recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er ri-ˈkȯr-dər 

1

a

: the chief judicial magistrate of some British cities and boroughs

b

: a municipal judge with criminal jurisdiction of first instance and sometimes limited civil jurisdiction

2

: one that records

3

: any of a group of wind instruments ranging from soprano to bass that are characterized by a conical tube, a whistle mouthpiece, and eight finger holes

Illustration of recorder

• recorder 3

Examples of recorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s what the board did in 2024, when the county circuit clerk, recorder, auditor and coroner positions all got raises following the 2024 election. —Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026

Graham said that federal investigators did not yet know whether the plane had a flight data recorder — often called a black box — on board. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2026

Mike Sanchez, a spokesman for the county recorder’s office, cautioned against comparing shelter beds with voter registration records. —Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026

Gonzalez was elected in 2022 as the Jefferson County clerk and recorder — a role that puts her in charge of running elections in a county with 430,000 active voters. —Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 9 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing recorder

• cockpit voice recorder
• flight data recorder
• flight recorder
• strip-chart recorder
• tape recorder
• videocassette recorder
• videotape recorder
• wire recorder

Rhymes for recorder

• camcorder
• disorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder
• boarder
• border
• corder
• order
• warder

Kids Definition

recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er ri-ˈkȯrd-ər 

1

: a person or device that records

2

: a musical instrument consisting of a usually wooden tube with finger holes and a whistle mouthpiece

Legal Definition

recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er

1

: a judge of a municipal court

2

: a public officer charged with making a record of writings or transactions (as conveyances)

a recorder of deeds