water clock

noun

Definition of water clocknext
as in alarm clock

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of water clock Before time zones, people used other methods of telling time like sun dials and water clocks. — Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025 His intricate water clocks and automata were not only practical but also visually appealing. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025 The earliest Chinese water clocks were probably outflow devices and were known as louke. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for water clock
  1. alarm clock
  2. time clock
  3. grandfather clock
  4. atomic clock
  5. cuckoo clock
  6. hourglass
  7. sundial
Noun
  • That buzz could last a few days, which will come in handy when that alarm clock rings.
    — Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The tryst was consummated at a motel called the Red Bull Motor Inn, where Kushner’s accomplices had installed a video camera inside a digital alarm clock.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of alarm clock
Noun
  • Humphreys and his colleagues have demonstrated how a mock Starlink service can produce navigation and timing solutions with 10-meter-level accuracy if Starlink supplies the real-time clock and orbit corrections—albeit only after a minutes-long processing delay.
    — Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
  • The show originated at a design museum in Saint-Étienne; Musée des Arts et Métiers has supplemented it with lemons from its permanent collection, such as the ten-hour decimal-time clock, used during the French Revolution.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of time clock
Noun
  • Recently, Weigand visited the home of Regina and Van to service a 40-year-old grandfather clock that had stopped chiming.
    — La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Inside, the three-story mansion has a state dining room lined with an antique Persian carpet, a foyer crowned by an 18th-century French chandelier, and a formal living room with an Irish grandfather clock dating to 1770.
    — Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of grandfather clock
Noun
  • The demonstration concerns the frequency-comb component rather than a complete portable atomic clock.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • One desirable characteristic in an atomic clock is a low systematic uncertainty.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of atomic clock
Noun
  • That ploy doesn’t land at all, especially when Ele unsuccessfully pitches a bizarre Spy-esque idea that something interesting is hidden in the cuckoo clock.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The place is full of antiques such as old cuckoo clocks, paintings, and books.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2026
Definition of cuckoo clock
Noun
  • The fat is then processed and transferred to the buttocks and hips, resulting in more of an hourglass shape.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The high-rise waistband is designed to stay in place during activities, while strategic seams help create an hourglass effect.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hourglass
Noun
  • In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Epstein significantly expanded the living spaces, adding a larger pool, new cabanas, a massive sundial and a bizarre temple-like structure overlooking the island’s southwest coast.
    — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Our junior suite overlooked the 18th-century-style garden, where a life-sized statue of James Joyce doubles as a sundial.
    — Lisa Greissinger, Travel + Leisure, 24 Jan. 2026
Definition of sundial

Browse Nearby Words

water beds
water clock
water clocks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Water clock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20clock. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on water clock

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about water clock

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All