time machine

noun

: a hypothetical device that permits travel into the past and future

Examples of time machine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Happily for us, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre has cast her in a role that might have been written for her — if Eugene O'Neill had jumped in a time machine. Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2024 Writer, director, composer, editor, and star Shane Carruth elides exposition and layman's speak for realism, relying instead on scientific shorthand, technical jargon, and elliptical storytelling to spin this story of two not-so-eccentric engineers who somewhat accidentally invent a time machine. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2023 This goes some way toward explaining why reading him can feel like entering a time machine that’s run amok. Natasha Wimmer, The New York Review of Books, 1 Feb. 2024 At least, among those willing to wait to be transported, the indestructible Madonna could give us a ride in her time machine. Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 14 Dec. 2023 The language of 2000s AOL Instant Messenger chats and MySpace Top 8s, angsty emo and skate videos make for a vivid time machine into Wang’s personal tale, set in Fremont, Calif., and drawn from his own childhood. Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024 Like a time machine, the telescope could see farther away and farther into the past than any previous instrument. WIRED, 5 Nov. 2023 And the time machine featured in the Back to the Future films was a DMC DeLorean. Carlton Reid, WIRED, 1 Dec. 2023 As Payne explained recently, these atmospheric touches are pieces of a larger effort to turn his motion picture into a sort of time machine. Dave Itzkoff, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'time machine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of time machine was in 1895

Dictionary Entries Near time machine

Cite this Entry

“Time machine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/time%20machine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

time machine

noun
: a fictional machine that allows one to travel backward or forward in time
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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