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

Nationwide, county recorders process nearly 300,000 documents daily, says EquityProtect. —Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 7 May 2026

In-person voting is already open at the county’s registrar-recorder/county clerk’s office in Norwalk, and will expand to county vote centers starting May 23. —Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026

The government took two computers, a recorder, Garmin watch, phone and a portable hard drive from Natanson during a home raid in an investigation into an official accused of leaking classified material. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 5 May 2026

Cell phones, cameras, tablets, laptops and audio recorders cannot be used within 100 feet of a voting station. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram Staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 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