sundial

noun

sun·​di·​al ˈsən-ˌdī(-ə)l 

: an instrument to show the time of day by the shadow of a gnomon on a usually horizontal plate or on a cylindrical surface

Examples of sundial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Days sometimes may feel like mere hours when times are good, and the moments may barely tick by in a dull day, but the passage of Earth around the sun hasn’t changed in an easily measurable way since humans first started using sundials. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2025

There are these ideas about sunstones and sundials, or little sun compasses, which are entirely possible. —ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025

If sundials revolutionized time measurement in the 1400s BC, quartz brought timekeeping into the 20th century and silicon brought it into the 21st century. —Markus Lutz, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

The large structure, characterized by a rotating floor and illuminated surfaces, will be positioned in a layout similar to that of a sundial. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sundial

• campanile
• chrysotile
• domicil
• domicile
• mercantile
• neuropil
• nonpareil
• percentile
• peristyle
• reconcile
• thermopile
• aisle

Kids Definition

sundial

noun

sun·​di·​al -ˌdī(-ə)l 

: a device to show the time of day by the position of the shadow cast on a marked plate or disk usually by an object with a straight edge