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

Heap defeated incumbent recorder Stephen Richer, in a GOP primary, and won the 2024 general election. — Josh Kelety, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Developers who use multiple AI agents simultaneously can switch between them using the illuminated keys, and a dedicated voice recorder shortcut supports spoken prompts. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026

For the distortion Richards played an acoustic guitar in open tuning into the microphone of a cheap cassette recorder, with Watts accompanying on a basic drum kit. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 July 2026

Former Mesa County clerk and recorder, trusted local Republican Sheila Reiner, has repeatedly emphasized that all of the election result records from the 2021 election remain intact and can be audited at any time. — The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 7 July 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