timer

noun tim·er \ ˈtī-mər \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Definition of timer

: one that times: such as

a : timepiece; especially : a stopwatch for timing races

b : timekeeper

c : a device (such as a clock) that indicates by a sound the end of an interval of time or that starts or stops a device at predetermined times

See timer defined for English-language learners

See timer defined for kids

Examples of timer in a Sentence

He was the official timer for the race.
She set the timer on the oven for one hour.
The timer is set to go off in 15 minutes.

Recent Examples of timer from the Web

Several more employees are part-timers who represent Bittercube at product demonstrations and events.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bittercube, moving to the west side, will gain a bar, store and bigger production area," 27 June 2018
The Engineers are the only first-timers in the field, having defeated Knott County Central 44-40 in the 14th Region final.

— jason frakes, The Courier-Journal, "Who has best chance to win Boys Sweet 16? Ranking the field from No. 16 to No. 1," 12 Mar. 2018
All four of Fountain Valley's Masters qualifiers were first-timers.

— andrew turner, latimes.com, "Daily Pilot High School Male Athlete of the Week: Fountain Valley’s Ching realizes dream," 25 Feb. 2018
The American players were part-timers with jobs and careers back home.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 17 Weeks to Go - England's Greatest Ever Defeat, the 1950 Loss to USA," 22 Feb. 2018
Smith encourages anyone new to nude recreation to call the resort and ask questions, or just come out and the $26 daily rate is waived for first-timers.

— kellie hwang, azcentral, "Sun's out, buns out: Nude Recreation Week, International Skinny Dip Day returns," 5 July 2018
This was especially useful for a first-timer like me.

— megan henry, Indianapolis Star, "This is what it's like to ride the new Bird electric scooters," 19 June 2018
Lexus added all sorts of extra insulation, including a special firewall layer, to address the whine that many first-timers to Toyota/Lexus hybrids think may be a police or fire vehicle approaching from a distance.

— jeff yip, Houston Chronicle, "Posher, sleeker 2019 Lexus ES will have Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa," 16 June 2018
Those first-timers, including Dickerson, are guided by Annabel O'Neill.

— CBS News, "Pay Attention: Exploring how forest bathing benefits both body and mind," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'timer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of timer

1841

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

timer Synonyms

Synonyms

chronometer, clock, timekeeper, timepiece;

hourglass, sandglass, sundial, water clock;

chronograph, stopwatch, watch;

TIMER Defined for English Language Learners

timer

noun

Definition of timer for English Language Learners

: a special watch that is used to measure the amount of time that is taken to finish a race, a test, etc.; also : a person who uses such a watch to time someone or something
: a device that makes a sound when a certain amount of time has passed
: a device that can be set to turn something (such as a light) on or off at a certain time