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

These long cylinders of glacial ice packed with layers of dust, pollutants, and smoke are frozen time capsules that scientists can use to recreate past environmental conditions. —Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2026

Facing the death of his country’s glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule to hold what is slipping away—family, memory, time and water. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026

The full setlist read like a late-1990s time capsule. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026

Before pulling all of the items out, Mayor Terry Vorderer reminded everyone of the purpose of the time capsule, calling it a gift of being reminded of what the village once was. —Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

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