1
: a machine for writing in characters similar to those produced by printer's type by means of keyboard-operated types striking a ribbon to transfer ink or carbon impressions onto the paper
2
: typist

Examples of typewriter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The visitor sits in front of the typewriter and asks the question. James Folta, Literary Hub, 14 Sep. 2026 There’s the Luddite Club, which last fall used a seventy-year-old typewriter to make a poster denouncing the school’s decision to offer students ChatGPT and Google Gemini subscriptions. Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026 Immediately after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Los Angeles Times had to fall back on manual typewriters, flashlights and walkie-talkies because of widespread power and communications failures. Larry Magid, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026 The 29-year-old author was in the Manhattan apartment of then-wife Joan Haverty, with rolls of architectural tracing paper that fit seamlessly into his manual typewriter. ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for typewriter

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of typewriter was in 1868

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Cite this Entry

“Typewriter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/typewriter. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

typewriter

noun
: a machine that prints letters or figures when a person pushes its keys down

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