grandfather clock

noun

: a tall pendulum clock that stands on the floor

called also grandfather, grandfather's clock

Examples of grandfather clock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the only way to get the grandfather clock that features the Martinsville Speedway logo with the race date is to win a NASCAR Cup Series Race, a NASCAR Xfinity Series or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville. —Bruce Martin, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Humans have long kept time to regular phenomena, from the waxing and waning of the moon to the lulling swings of the pendulum in a grandfather clock. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

The miniature grandfather clock never ticked in Greg Allison’s childhood. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024

One, however, was missing: a miniature grandfather clock. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the song My Grandfather's Clock (1876) by Henry C. Work †1884 American songwriter

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

grandfather clock

noun

: a tall clock standing directly on the floor