pocket watch

noun

plural pocket watches
: a portable timepiece designed to be carried in the pocket
… we fell for a circa 1890 … gentleman's pocket watch with a beautifully engraved case, a clear white face, and slender, elegant hands.Lynn Yaeger
His western-style shirt was topped with a dark pinstriped vest; the thick gold chain that draped across it ended in an ornate pocket watch.Linda Billington

Examples of pocket watch 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.
In 2025, a collector paid a record price of over $2 million for a gold pocket watch linked to the Titanic. CBS News, 23 June 2026 Made in Swatch's bioceramic material, all designed to sit in a type of pocket watch format with a lanyard connected to it. Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026 Portable ladies’ timepieces were invented in 1810, transforming from pocket watches into something wearable by being connected to a bracelet. Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 27 May 2026 Swatch has had a big 2026 in many ways, breaking the internet in May with the launch of its Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop pocket watches. Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pocket watch

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pocket watch was in 1637

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Cite this Entry

“Pocket watch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pocket%20watch. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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