talking machine

noun

: an early phonograph

Examples of talking machine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While this work on talking machines was proceeding, so were attempts to build a thinking machine. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024 So novel was the talking machine that many people refused to believe in its existence—understandably, since, up to that point in history, sound had been entirely ephemeral. Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2019 In the past fifty years, our talking machines have continued to evolve, but none of them have become as authentically malicious as HAL. Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2018 There’s something about talking machines that just sets Mama’s nerves on edge. Southern Living, 6 Jan. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of talking machine was in 1891

Dictionary Entries Near talking machine

Cite this Entry

“Talking machine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talking%20machine. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!