standard time
noun
: the time of a region or country that is established by law or general usage as civil time (see civil sense 5)
… the advent of the railway system and its demand for accurate timetables created the need for standard time and GMT became the legal standard time of Britain in 1880.—
John Sallnow
John Sallnow
specifically
: the mean time of a meridian that is a multiple of 15 arbitrarily applied to a local area or to one of the 24 time zones and designated as a number of hours earlier or later than Greenwich Mean Time
At a little after nine Central Standard Time on the night of Monday, April 13, 1970 there was, high in the western sky, a tiny flare of light that in some respects resembled a star exploding far away in our galaxy. —Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr.
Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr. Examples of standard time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Most of us observe daylight saving time by moving clocks one hour ahead in the spring and one hour back to standard time in the fall.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
For early risers and those who may like to squeeze in exercise before work, standard time could serve them better, whereas after-work busies benefit from extra light in the evening.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Cotton and others who oppose permanent daylight saving time cite health and safety concerns, often arguing that maintaining standard time year-round would be preferable.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Last year saw a flurry of legislation in Congress that would do anything from permanently implementing the time (the Sunshine Protection Act) to multiple bills that would allow states to choose for themselves (Hawaii and Arizona have already opted for year-round standard time).
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
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Rosie Colosi, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
For early risers and those who may like to squeeze in exercise before work, standard time could serve them better, whereas after-work busies benefit from extra light in the evening.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Cotton and others who oppose permanent daylight saving time cite health and safety concerns, often arguing that maintaining standard time year-round would be preferable.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Last year saw a flurry of legislation in Congress that would do anything from permanently implementing the time (the Sunshine Protection Act) to multiple bills that would allow states to choose for themselves (Hawaii and Arizona have already opted for year-round standard time).
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for standard time
Cite this Entry
“Standard time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standard%20time. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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