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

To check the status of your ballot, visit the county registrar-recorder’s website. —Jasmine Mendez follow, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

The incident was isolated and only involved a small number of ballots, according to the registrar-recorder/county clerk’s office. —Paris Barraza, USA Today, 1 June 2026

The registrar-recorder/county clerk reported the situation to Los Angeles police. —Andrea Klick, Daily News, 1 June 2026

And as Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Molly Fitzpatrick, Boulder County clerk and recorder, aptly point out, the courts are well attuned to the need to protect First Amendment rights and were already poised to provide Peters with eventual relief. —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 31 May 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