timer

noun

tim·​er ˈtī-mər 

: 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

Synonyms of timer

• clock

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 on the Web

Woodyard said every week their distribution events, which happen several times a week at locations across North Texas cities, bring in a steady flow of first-timers. — CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

The phone automatically snaps the photo, so there's no racing against a timer or asking someone else to take the shot. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026

Only seven players from the championship team were still with a big-league franchise this season, while left-hander Jon Lester could be elected to the Hall of Fame in January as a first-timer on the ballot. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

And the 24-year-old has done it, as most of you have surely heard after his back-and-forth with Dončić in the opener, with a level of cockiness rarely seen from a first-timer of any age. — Dan Woike, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing timer

• all-timer
• egg timer
• full-timer
• old-timer
• one-timer

Rhymes for timer

• climber
• dimer
• eimer
• primer
• rhymer
• alzheimer
• heterodimer

Kids Definition

timer

noun

tim·​er ˈtī-mər 

1

a

: timepiece

b

: timekeeper sense 2

2

: a clocklike device that turns something on or off at a set time or gives a signal at the end of a period of time