recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er ri-ˈkȯr-dər 

1

a

: the chief judicial magistrate of some British cities and boroughs

b

: a municipal judge with criminal jurisdiction of first instance and sometimes limited civil jurisdiction

2

: one that records

3

: any of a group of wind instruments ranging from soprano to bass that are characterized by a conical tube, a whistle mouthpiece, and eight finger holes

Illustration of recorder

• recorder 3

Examples of recorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Anderson says, suddenly noticing the red light on my recorder. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025

Gilbert, phone recorder and notebook in hand to document Westheimer’s stories and wisdom, journeyed to meet up with Westheimer every week beginning in 2024. —Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2025

Investigators obtained a search warrant and removed the Sonata’s electronic data recorder for crash analysis. —Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 22 Sep. 2025

Both come with screenshot tools, voice recorders, and web browsers, not to mention camera, contacts, news, and weather apps. —PC Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing recorder

• cockpit voice recorder
• flight data recorder
• flight recorder
• strip-chart recorder
• tape recorder
• videocassette recorder
• videotape recorder
• wire recorder

Rhymes for recorder

• camcorder
• disorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder
• boarder
• border
• corder
• order
• warder

Kids Definition

recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er ri-ˈkȯrd-ər 

1

: a person or device that records

2

: a musical instrument consisting of a usually wooden tube with finger holes and a whistle mouthpiece

Legal Definition

recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er

1

: a judge of a municipal court

2

: a public officer charged with making a record of writings or transactions (as conveyances)

a recorder of deeds