Definition of timer in English:

timer

Translate timer into Spanish

noun

1An automatic mechanism for activating a device at a preset time.
‘a video timer’
- ‘Some of these models also provide a greater number of programs, automatic shut-off timers and mechanisms that keep noise to a minimum.’
- ‘The valve-on state can be activated from a remote robotic device when the automatic timer on the unit is off.’
- ‘I refer to those who pre-tear toilet tissue to avoid work on Shabbat, but set automatic timers on the TV to turn on the college football games.’
- ‘It's thought that the bombs themselves were operated manually, i.e. human suicide bombers rather than mechanical timers.’
- ‘The mouse is equipped with an automatic sleep timer so it will shut itself off when idle for ten minutes.’
- ‘If you don't want to rely on a neighbor for watering, install an automatic timer for your watering system or hose.’
- ‘Power can be conserved by leaving sensors in sleep mode most of the time; internal timers or network signals activate them only when they are needed to take a measurement or pass on a signal.’
- ‘Most of these timers also offer preset schedules.’
- ‘Well-positioned floodlights activated by timers or motion or light sensors force criminals to do what they hate most: work in the light.’
- ‘Modern dimmers even come with remote or voice control and have presets and built in timers.’
- ‘Likewise, refrigeration units now have automatic start-up timers for pre-cooling trailers.’
- ‘To take a domestic example, how many over 35s know how to set a video timer?’
- ‘However can someone tell me, please, why every time you want to set the timer on your video they never coincide with each other?’
- ‘But I'm so proud of myself for being able to use the video timer that I get the time wrong and tape two hours of daytime TV.’
- ‘If I'm not around a telly on Wednesday afternoons, I make sure the video timer's set.’
- ‘The animals are hooked up to milking machines with timers on them.’
- ‘We have used a timer on our engine heaters to save energy costs yet still give our vehicle engines ample time to heat up.’
- ‘If all this seems like too much fiddling around, you also could install an electronic timer and a drip hose to each plant.’
- ‘At the beach, the timer on Chase's watch went off, signaling that it was time for him to turn over.’
- ‘I set the timer and went into the living room to watch the TV.’
1. 1.1A person or device that measures or records the amount of time taken by a process or activity.
  ‘the challenge is to play the game with the timer’
  ‘There was also a countdown timer to measure elapsed time for each question.’
  ‘He has seven lined up in a row, with an electronic timer on each to record how many solid punches can be landed in two minutes.’
  ‘Then, still using your timer, record how long it takes for the star to realign with the stick from one night to the next.’
  ‘A timer kept record of how long you had left to live, ticking off the seconds.’
  ‘We play a lot of party games, and sand timers are inaccurate, and are silent when they run out.’
  ‘Furthermore, does it actually make sense to use a timer in a multi-player game?’
  ‘Pact has been providing high-quality timers and chronographs for well over two decades.’
  ‘A chronograph, a countdown timer and dual-time zone readings flesh out its functions.’
  ‘The guy with the stopwatch stopped the timer, and some one went out on a four wheeler to retrieve the targets.’
  ‘I turned the timer over and watched the grains of sand dribble into the bottom of the glass.’
  ‘I glanced up at the steel grey sky and lit a cigarette and started a timer, watching the seconds build.’
  ‘We used an electronic shooting timer to record times from start signal to shot.’
  ‘You see if I drop a coin, I have to take time to record the speed, and reset and reload the timer.’
  ‘Season Two picks up exactly where the show left off, watching the timer drop.’
  ‘The best is a digital countdown timer, but any watch or one-minute sand timer will do.’
  ‘As with all the mechanical timers, it only goes up to one hour.’
  ‘If you slam it into a surface, the thirty second timer will be activated.’
  ‘Closed circuit cameras and electronic timers monitor the time staff are away from their desk, including in the bathroom.’
  timepiece, chronometer, small clock, timer
2in combination Used to indicate how many times someone has done something.
- ‘for most first-timers the success rate is 45 percent’