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Glite Dictionary
⏲️ A time device ⏱️ A timekeeper
timer

timer

155 1.6
A device that measures a set time and then makes a sound
  • noun
  • /ˈtaɪmər/
translation icon : temporizador
  • Let's put a timer up in the corner and go.
  • set a timer
  • use a timer
  • electronic timer

Let's put a timer up in the corner and go.

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Examples

  • I set a timer for 30 minutes to bake the cake perfectly.

  • The examiner started the timer and followed along as the student read the story.

    Academic text (2012)

  • And then and then I set a timer for an hour.

  • My goal today is to sit down and set a timer for an hour and write.

  • All right, all right, start the timer, lead up to the five.

  • Get the timer going, please.

    The Break-Up (2006)

  • But now I'm going to set my timer and clean our room.

  • So we will start promptly when this timer runs down.

  • When the fryer timer goes off, take the fries out.

    The Month of August (2002)

  • Bernzy studies his watch, then sets the timer on the time-release camera.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

egg timer
vstimer
3 1.7

A small kitchen tool that shows how long to boil eggs

measures set periods generally rather than only short cooking tasks
timekeeper
vstimer
1 4.2

A clock or watch that measures time accurately

measures a set period and signals completion rather than just tracking time
time-switch
vstimer
  • Specialized
4.2

A switch that turns a device on or off at a set time

measures a period and signals completion rather than switching power at set times
intervalometer
vstimer
  • Specialized
9.3

A device that makes a camera take photos at set times

signals after a single set period rather than repeating triggers

Compounds

old-timer
39 5.2

A person who has done something for a long time and is respected for their experience

part-timer
8 3.0

A person who works fewer hours than full-time workers

egg timer
3 1.7

A small kitchen tool that shows how long to boil eggs

two-timer
  • Offensive
1 7.2

A person who has a romantic or sexual relationship with someone else while still with their partner

short timer
  • US
1 7.2

A person who is leaving their job or service soon

How Programmable

time-switch
  • Specialized
4.2
timer
155 1.6
hourglass
20 4.1

Surface Forms

timer singular
timers plural

Morphology

timer = time (transparent) = time + er

This is a straightforward -er formation from the verb 'time', referring to an instrument that times or measures duration.

Etymology

The word timer comes from the simple word time plus the ending -er, which means 'one who' or 'a thing that does something'. So a timer is literally 'a thing that measures time', which is why we use it for devices you set to count minutes or to sound an alarm.