time capsule

noun

1

: a container holding historical records or objects representative of current culture that is deposited (as in a cornerstone) for preservation until discovery by some future age

2

: something resembling a time capsule

sunken vessels are archaeological time capsules

—Philip Trupp

Examples of time capsule in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Meteorites are considered cosmic time capsules, rocks enriched with the history of the solar system and the compositions of its planets. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025

These primitive bodies have been preserved in the cold outer reaches of the solar system—mainly in the Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt—acting as time capsules containing some of the earliest material from the Sun's formation. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025

Wonderland tells Billboard that all of these albums have functioned as time capsules capturing various periods of her life. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 1 Aug. 2025

More guidelines on time capsule submissions can be found on Oswald’s website, oswaldspharmacy.com. —Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

time capsule

noun

: a container holding historical records or objects representative of current culture that is placed (as in a cornerstone) for preservation until discovery by some future age