recorder

noun

re·​cord·​er ri-ˈkȯr-dər How to pronounce recorder (audio)
1
a
: the chief judicial magistrate of some British cities and boroughs
b
: a municipal judge with criminal jurisdiction of first instance and sometimes limited civil jurisdiction
2
: one that records
3
: any of a group of wind instruments ranging from soprano to bass that are characterized by a conical tube, a whistle mouthpiece, and eight finger holes

Illustration of recorder

Illustration of recorder
  • recorder 3

Examples of recorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The smallest version, Gemini Nano, can run locally on phones and is being used for features on Google’s flagship Pixel 8 Pro smartphone, including summarizing features in the recorder app. Richard Nieva, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 This showroom in Melbourne, Australia, displayed products from all three of IBM’s founding companies: scales, time recorders, and tabulating machines. IEEE Spectrum, 13 Feb. 2024 With a dual tape deck recorder, a duplicate copy of any cassette can be copied onto a blank tape, allowing for commercial recordings to be easily shared and bootlegged. John Morrison, SPIN, 13 Feb. 2024 Special credit goes to oboist Margaret Owens and bassoonist Anna Marsh for pulling double-duty with sprightly, skillful recorder playing. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024 Prosecutors accused Grossman of reaching 81 mph before lightly braking and hitting the brothers at 73 mph, based on the car’s data recorder and the distance Mark was found from the crosswalk. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024 In the end, what McLoughlin described as pre-trial legal tricks — including the city hiring a high-powered outside legal firm that uncovered new event data recorder, or black-box, evidence — led him to take just a $49,500 settlement. USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024 Workers punched in and out on a dial recorder, sold by C-T-R’s International Time Recording Co.IBM Corp. To provide these various products, countless little companies popped up, most of them lost to history. IEEE Spectrum, 13 Feb. 2024 That’s true of so few professional athletes, who either don’t want to or don’t care enough to stand in front of the cameras and recorders when the chips are down. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recorder.' 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

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of recorder was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near recorder

Cite this Entry

“Recorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recorder. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

recorder

noun
re·​cord·​er ri-ˈkȯrd-ər How to pronounce recorder (audio)
1
: a person or device that records
2
: a musical instrument consisting of a usually wooden tube with finger holes and a whistle mouthpiece

Legal Definition

recorder

noun
re·​cord·​er
1
: a judge of a municipal court
2
: a public officer charged with making a record of writings or transactions (as conveyances)
a recorder of deeds
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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