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

While classics like High Fidelity and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are like time capsules, there’s a newer slew of 90’s throwback books for your reading pleasure. —Nora Dahlia, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025

The spacecraft carries with it one of NASA's famous Golden Records, which contain a selection of greetings, images and sounds from Earth curated as both a time capsule and a method of establishing friendly first contact with any who may later find the distant probe. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 25 Oct. 2025

There are plenty of potential time capsules to check. —Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2025

But this early-1990s time capsule, and now classic Hollywood film, is more dark comedy than murder mystery. —Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Oct. 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