Words / B1

STOPW-och/ˈstɒpwɒtʃ/

A stopwatch is a watch that you start and stop to measure a short time exactly. A wristwatch tells the time of day; a timer may be on a phone or oven. PE: a stopwatch is timing kit; a phone in the exam hall is not a timer.

Meaning

A watch that you start and stop to measure a short time exactly.

Examples

• “A stopwatch is PE timing kit; a phone in the exam hall is not a timer.”
• “A stopwatch in science still needs the practical sheet; starting it late is not a repeat without the teacher.”

Good to know

a stopwatch. Contrast: a wristwatch / a phone timer. PE / science / exams. Countable watches. Mix-up: to stop is the verb; a stopwatch is the timing watch.

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