timer
device that counts down time
A tool or phone function that you set for a period of time so it will ring or show you when the time is finished.
set a timer for [time_period]
- I set a ten-minute timer for the pasta.
- Use the timer on your phone so you don’t forget to take the cookies out.
- The workout app includes a built-in interval timer.
- She started the timer and began the exam.
- The oven timer beeped to tell us the cake was ready.
- Please set a timer for five minutes.
- I use a timer when I cook rice.
- The timer goes off when the time is finished.
- He uses a timer on his phone to wake up.
- She started the timer before the test.
automatic on/off time controller
A device in a machine that makes it start or stop by itself at a set time.
a timer for [equipment]
- The garden lights are on a timer so they turn on at sunset.
- We installed a timer on the water heater to save energy.
- The sprinkler timer is set to run every morning at six.
- This coffee machine has a built-in timer that starts brewing before you wake up.
- The lights are on a timer in our house.
- We use a timer to turn the garden water on and off.
- The heater has a timer, so it stops at night.
- He set the timer so the fan turns off after one hour.
person who records race times
A person at a race who watches the clock and writes down how long each runner or team takes.
the timer for [race/event]
- The official timer announced that she had broken the national record.
- Each lane had a separate timer to record the swimmer’s result.
- The timer signaled the end of the round and reported the time to the judges.
- The timer checked the watch and wrote the result.
- Every runner has a timer at the finish line.
- The timer said my time was ten minutes.
- He worked as a timer at the swim meet.
- Base: timer
- Plural: timers
countdown timer
1timer showing time remaining
A timer that starts at a number and goes down to zero to show how much time is left.
- The countdown timer on the screen showed ten seconds left.
- Use a countdown timer during presentations to stay on time.
egg timer
1small timer for boiling eggs
A small timer that helps you know how long to boil eggs.
- She set the egg timer for three minutes for soft-boiled eggs.
- We still have an old egg timer next to the stove.
kitchen timer
1timer used for cooking
A small timer that you use when you cook, to know when food is ready.
- I use a kitchen timer to make sure the eggs don’t overcook.
- The kitchen timer rang, and she turned off the oven.
on a timer
1controlled automatically by timer
Used to say that lights, machines, or other things turn on or off automatically because a timer controls them.
- The hallway lights are on a timer and go off at midnight.
- Our garden sprinklers are on a timer, so we don’t have to remember to water the plants.
set a timer
1program a timer for later
To choose a length of time on a timer so it will ring or show you when that time is finished.
- Set a timer for twenty minutes so we don’t burn the pizza.
- I always set a timer when I take something out of the freezer to defrost.
- She set a timer on her phone to remind her about the meeting.