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What does clock mean?

Definitions for clock
klɒkclock

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word clock.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. clockverb

    a timepiece that shows the time of day

  2. clock, timeverb

    measure the time or duration of an event or action or the person who performs an action in a certain period of time

    "he clocked the runners"

GCIDE

  1. Clocknoun

    A machine for measuring time, indicating the hour and other divisions; in ordinary mechanical clocks for domestic or office use the time is indicated on a typically circular face or dial plate containing two hands, pointing to numbers engraved on the periphery of the face, thus showing the hours and minutes. The works of a mechanical clock are moved by a weight or a spring, and it is often so constructed as to tell the hour by the stroke of a hammer on a bell. In electrical or electronic clocks, the time may be indicated, as on a mechanical clock, by hands, but may also be indicated by direct digital readout, with the hours and minutes in normal Arabic numerals. The readout using hands is often called analog to distinguish it from the digital readout. Some clocks also indicate the seconds. Clocks are not adapted, like the watch, to be carried on the person. Specialized clocks, such as atomic clocks, may be constructed on different principles, and may have a very high precision for use in scientific observations.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. CLOCKnoun

    Etymology: clocc, Welsh, from clôch, a bell, Welsh and Armorick; cloche, French.

    If a man be in sickness or pain, the time will seem longer without a clock or hour-glass than with it. Francis Bacon.

    The picture of Jerome usually described at his study, is with a clock hanging by. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours, b. v. c. 17.

    I told the clocks, and watch’d the wasting light. Dryden.

    What is’t o’clock? ————
    ———— Upon the stroke of four. William Shakespeare, Richard III.

    Macicaus set forward about ten o’clock in the night, towards Andrussa. Richard Knolles, History of the Turks.

    About nine of the clock at night the king marched out of the North-port. Edward Hyde, b. viii.

    His stockings with silver clocks were ravished from him. Jonathan Swift, on Modern Education.

Wikipedia

  1. Clock

    A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the year. Devices operating on several physical processes have been used over the millennia. Some predecessors to the modern clock may be considered as "clocks" that are based on movement in nature: A sundial shows the time by displaying the position of a shadow on a flat surface. There is a range of duration timers, a well-known example being the hourglass. Water clocks, along with the sundials, are possibly the oldest time-measuring instruments. A major advance occurred with the invention of the verge escapement, which made possible the first mechanical clocks around 1300 in Europe, which kept time with oscillating timekeepers like balance wheels.Traditionally, in horology, the term clock was used for a striking clock, while a clock that did not strike the hours audibly was called a timepiece. This distinction is no longer made. Watches and other timepieces that can be carried on one's person are usually not referred to as clocks. Spring-driven clocks appeared during the 15th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries, clockmaking flourished. The next development in accuracy occurred after 1656 with the invention of the pendulum clock by Christiaan Huygens. A major stimulus to improving the accuracy and reliability of clocks was the importance of precise time-keeping for navigation. The mechanism of a timepiece with a series of gears driven by a spring or weights is referred to as clockwork; the term is used by extension for a similar mechanism not used in a timepiece. The electric clock was patented in 1840, and electronic clocks were introduced in the 20th century, becoming widespread with the development of small battery-powered semiconductor devices. The timekeeping element in every modern clock is a harmonic oscillator, a physical object (resonator) that vibrates or oscillates at a particular frequency. This object can be a pendulum, a tuning fork, a quartz crystal, or the vibration of electrons in atoms as they emit microwaves. Clocks have different ways of displaying the time. Analog clocks indicate time with a traditional clock face, with moving hands. Digital clocks display a numeric representation of time. Two numbering systems are in use: 12-hour time notation and 24-hour notation. Most digital clocks use electronic mechanisms and LCD, LED, or VFD displays. For the blind and for use over telephones, speaking clocks state the time audibly in words. There are also clocks for the blind that have displays that can be read by touch. The study of timekeeping is known as horology.

ChatGPT

  1. clock

    A clock is a device used to measure and display the time in a consistent and precise manner. It typically consists of a mechanism or electronic system that measures the passage of time and displays it in a format that is easily understood, such as by using hands or digital numbers. Clocks can be found in various forms and sizes, ranging from traditional analog timepieces to digital clocks in devices such as computers and smartphones.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Clocknoun

    a machine for measuring time, indicating the hour and other divisions by means of hands moving on a dial plate. Its works are moved by a weight or a spring, and it is often so constructed as to tell the hour by the stroke of a hammer on a bell. It is not adapted, like the watch, to be carried on the person

  2. Clocknoun

    a watch, esp. one that strikes

  3. Clocknoun

    the striking of a clock

  4. Clocknoun

    a figure or figured work on the ankle or side of a stocking

  5. Clockverb

    to ornament with figured work, as the side of a stocking

  6. Clock

    to call, as a hen. See Cluck

  7. Clocknoun

    a large beetle, esp. the European dung beetle (Scarabaeus stercorarius)

  8. Etymology: [AS. clucge bell; akin to D. klok clock, bell, G. glocke, Dan. klokke, Sw. klocka, Icel. klukka bell, LL. clocca, cloca (whence F. cloche); al perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. & Gael. clog bell, clock, W. cloch bell. Cf. Cloak.]

Wikidata

  1. Clock

    A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece. In general usage today a "clock" refers to any device for measuring and displaying the time. Watches and other timepieces that can be carried on one's person are often distinguished from clocks. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to consistently measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units: the day; the lunar month; and the year. Devices operating on several different physical processes have been used over the millennia, culminating in the clocks of today. The study of timekeeping is known as horology.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Clock

    klok, n. a machine for measuring time, marking the time by the position of its 'hands' upon the dial-plate, or by the striking of a hammer on a bell: (Shak.) the striking of the hour.—n. Clock′work, the works or machinery of a clock: machinery steady and regular like that of a clock.—adj. automatic.—Go like clockwork, to go along smoothly and without a hitch.—Know what o'clock it is, to be wide awake, to know how things are. [M. E. clokke, prob. through O. Fr. from Low L. cloca, clocca, a bell; mod. Fr. cloche, Dut. klok; Ger. glocke, a bell.]

  2. Clock

    klok, n. an ornament worked on the side of a stocking.—adj. Clocked, ornamented with clocks.

  3. Clock

    klok, n. a beetle—common name in Scotland.

  4. Clock

    klok, v.i. (Scot.) to cluck: to hatch.—n. Clock′er, a clocking hen. [A.S. cloccian; Dut. klokken.]

The Roycroft Dictionary

  1. clock

    1. A telltale; a gossip; a blab. 2. A chink through which the Greta Secret leaks. 3. The Big Ben of eternity.

The New Hacker's Dictionary

  1. clock

    n.,v. 1. [techspeak] The master oscillator that steps a CPU or other digital circuit through its paces. This has nothing to do with the time of day, although the software counter that keeps track of the latter may be derived from the former. 2. vt. To run a CPU or other digital circuit at a particular rate. “If you clock it at 1000MHz, it gets warm.”. See overclock. 3. vt. To force a digital circuit from one state to the next by applying a single clock pulse. “The data must be stable 10ns before you clock the latch.”

Rap Dictionary

  1. clockverb

    To stay aware of what happens around you. "You're the one that I'm clocking" -- Ol' Dirty Bastard (Raw hide)

  2. clockverb

    To earn. "I clock ducats" -- Public Enemy.

  3. clockverb

    To always watch, always have or to always be into something. "clockin' a grip" -- Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg (Nuthin' but a "G" Thang).

  4. clockverb

    To hit or knock someone out, as in "he clocked him". Probably comes from "he got his clock cleaned".

Editors Contribution

  1. clock

    A type of device to show, detail and measure time.

    Some people love a clock others use their mobile phones.


    Submitted by MaryC on March 1, 2020  

  2. clocknoun

    Centiliters of chemiluminescence used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event on center in the work cited and overcharged with diminutive sense. 1.) a mechanical or electrical device for measuring time, indicating hours, minutes, and sometimes seconds, typically by hands on a round dial or by displayed figures.

    My first memory in life is when I was 3 or 4 years of age living behind Time Clock neighborhood with my mom and pop.

    Etymology: A motoring device


    Submitted by Tehorah_Elyon on April 29, 2024  

Suggested Resources

  1. clock

    Song lyrics by clock -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by clock on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. CLOCK

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Clock is ranked #26975 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Clock surname appeared 899 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Clock.

    89.6% or 806 total occurrences were White.
    3.4% or 31 total occurrences were Black.
    3% or 27 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    2.2% or 20 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1% or 9 total occurrences were Asian.
    0.6% or 6 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'clock' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3584

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'clock' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2380

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'clock' in Nouns Frequency: #1310

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce clock?

How to say clock in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of clock in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of clock in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of clock in a Sentence

  1. Bill Clinton:

    Of course they want to turn back the clock on abortion. They spent 50 years trying to make that happen, they are determined to exercise control over who are, how we feel and believe and act in ways that I thought we had long left behind.

  2. Chris Sonderby:

    We remain shocked and saddened by this tragedy and are committed to working with leaders in New Zealand, other governments, and across the technology industry to help counter hate speech and the threat of terrorism, we continue to work around the clock to prevent this content from appearing on our site, using a combination of technology and people.

  3. Anna Harrington:

    I'm saving and spending the same amounts as before -- I'm lucky that my job is secure. But this past summer, I bought the oddest things I never would have normally bought -- a sunrise alarm clock, pink fuzzy bunny slippers, the entire Buffy the Vampire CD collection, and vintage furniture from the 1970s.

  4. Phil Lloyd:

    A lot of the corporate market are waiting for a few things of which one is a term rate. And if they never get a term rate, then waiting will lead to them still executing Libor, and not being ready for Sonia. The clock is ticking, and the other point about having a term rate is you're starting to get back into a world where you are really recreating a new version of Libor.

  5. Ajay Patel:

    The professionalism of the operation surprised me. It felt like a round-the-clock operation putting out new content with fake thumbnails and headlines every few hours, when accounts were deleted or banned, they were able to spin up new accounts within hours. The tactics they used to game the YouTube algorithm were executed perfectly. They knew what they were doing.

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Popularity rank by frequency of use

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References

Translations for clock

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"clock." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/clock>.

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