Coordinated Universal Time

noun

: the international standard of time that is kept by atomic clocks around the world
abbreviation UTC
compare greenwich mean time, universal time

Examples of Coordinated Universal Time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The season technically arrives in the Northern Hemisphere at 11:06 p.m. EDT on March 19, or March 20 at 3:06 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Mar. 2023 Joins Sailboat Race with Team Great Britain Netflix and Facebook Marketplace on the High Seas For Brauer, a typical day during the race means waking up at sunrise — going by UTC or Coordinated Universal Time that's five hours ahead of Eastern Time. Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2024 That kickoff is 6 p.m. New Zealand Standard Time, which is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, and 12 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), according to TimeandDate.com. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 23 July 2023 Australia Eastern Standard Time, which is 14 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, and 10 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), according to TimeandDate.com. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 20 July 2023 The spring equinox will arrive exactly at 21:24 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) March 20, according to EarthSky. Forrest Brown, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023 The official time of the United States is subordinate to what’s known as UTC, or Coordinated Universal Time, which, since the early Sixties, has been the world’s official time standard. Tom Vanderbilt, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023 But instead of figuring out a unique time zone for the station, scientists rely on Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, which is reportedly based on atomic clocks. Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 1 Mar. 2023 Its abandonment means that astronomical time, based on Earth’s rotation, will slowly diverge from Coordinated Universal Time, based on the vibrations of cesium in atomic clocks. Byscience News Staff, science.org, 1 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Coordinated Universal Time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Coordinated Universal Time was in 1969

Dictionary Entries Near Coordinated Universal Time

Cite this Entry

“Coordinated Universal Time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Coordinated%20Universal%20Time. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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