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

However, inside the casing is a 158-degree wide-angle 720P video camera with a recorder and a dollop of AI computer tech, plus a battery to run it all for about four hours. —William Roberson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Browne has no idea what his younger self wanted to do with that recorder. —Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025

What is the difference between an X-Y recorder and a plotter? —Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 27 June 2025

The results will determine how powers are shared between the recorder and the board for elections at the congressional midterms in 2026. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025

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