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

Pompeii is often thought of as an undisturbed time capsule, a once-bustling port that fell silent after Mount Vesuvius erupted and blanketed the ancient Roman city with a thick layer of ash in AD 79. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

In the time capsules, kids wrote about missing their friends and grandparents. — Stacey Gillett, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Your favorite '90s stars are looking for homes that feel like time capsules in a new competition series coming to HGTV. — Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Rewatching it now, the series feels almost artisanal in its toughness, a time capsule from an era when TV detectives didn’t need tortured backstories or prestige-drama monologues to command the screen. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 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