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

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.

Examples of standard time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hawaii and most of Arizona have opted out of daylight saving time and remain on year-round standard time, meaning that they would not be affected by the passage of the Sunshine Protection Act, lawmakers have said. — Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026

Research suggests standard time better aligns with our circadian rhythm, or internal clock, and reduces the risk of health complications. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2026

California could adopt permanent standard time without federal approval, provided state lawmakers pass the necessary legislation. — Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026

On the other hand, permanent standard time would preserve more daylight in the morning, when children and commuters are traveling to school and work. — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for standard time

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• maritime
• mesenchyme
• overtime

Kids Definition

standard time

noun

: the time established by law or by general usage over a region or country