sundial
noun
sun·di·al
ˈsən-ˌdī(-ə)l 
: an instrument to show the time of day by the shadow of a gnomon on a usually horizontal plate or on a cylindrical surface
Examples of sundial in a Sentence
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The first sundials and water clocks were determined to have been used in 1200 B.C. by the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Days sometimes may feel like mere hours when times are good, and the moments may barely tick by in a dull day, but the passage of Earth around the sun hasn’t changed in an easily measurable way since humans first started using sundials.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2025
If sundials revolutionized time measurement in the 1400s BC, quartz brought timekeeping into the 20th century and silicon brought it into the 21st century.
—Markus Lutz, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
There are these ideas about sunstones and sundials, or little sun compasses, which are entirely possible.
—ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025
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Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Days sometimes may feel like mere hours when times are good, and the moments may barely tick by in a dull day, but the passage of Earth around the sun hasn’t changed in an easily measurable way since humans first started using sundials.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2025
If sundials revolutionized time measurement in the 1400s BC, quartz brought timekeeping into the 20th century and silicon brought it into the 21st century.
—Markus Lutz, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
There are these ideas about sunstones and sundials, or little sun compasses, which are entirely possible.
—ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sundial
Cite this Entry
“Sundial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sundial. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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sundial
noun
sun·di·al
-ˌdī(-ə)l
: a device to show the time of day by the position of the shadow cast on a marked plate or disk usually by an object with a straight edge
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