sundialnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈsʌn.daɪl/us/ˈsʌn.daɪl/a device used outside, especially in the past, that consists of a thin piece of metal attached to a flat surface printed with numbers. It shows the time by the metal making a shadow on the surface as the sun moves across the sky.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Watches & clocks
- 24-hour clock
- against the clock idiom
- alarm clock
- at/on the stroke of sth idiom
- bezel
- clock
- crystal
- hour hand
- hourglass
- lose
- minute hand
- movement
- pendulum
- radio alarm clock
- slow
- strike
- watchband
- watchstrap
- winder
- wristwatch
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Examples from literature
- As the Sun moved in the sky, the dark shadow on the sundial showed the change of time.
- Of course, sundials didn’t work when there was no sun – at night or on a cloudy day!
- The first clock was the sundial.