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
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In Huit’s photographs, the rooms, usually open to the outside world, are sparsely furnished, with only a few essential objects — a typewriter, a vase, and elsewhere, a lamp and a table. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2026 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 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 29 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

typewriter

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

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