time zone: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Neutral to Technical
Quick answer
What does “time zone” mean?
A region of the globe that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A region of the globe that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes.
Any geographical area operating on a specific offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It can also refer metaphorically to a state of temporal disorientation, such as jet lag.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling is identical. Minor usage differences exist in certain compound forms (e.g., 'timezone' as a single word is slightly more common in US tech contexts, but the standard remains two words).
Connotations
None. Purely descriptive.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in North American media due to continent spanning multiple zones.
Grammar
How to Use “time zone” in a Sentence
be in [a] time zonetravel across [several] time zonesconvert [time] to [a] time zoneset [the clock] to [the] time zoneVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “time zone” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- We need to time-zone this meeting to suit our Asian partners.
- The software automatically time-zones the event entries.
American English
- Can you time-zone the broadcast schedule?
- The app failed to properly time-zone the alert.
adjective
British English
- She's struggling with time-zone lag after her long flight.
- Please provide a time-zone conversion table.
American English
- He sent a time-zone confused email at midnight.
- The widget shows time-zone aware clocks.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
"The meeting is scheduled for 9 AM EST; please convert to your local time zone."
Academic
"The study controlled for circadian rhythms by accounting for participants' home time zones."
Everyday
"Remember to check the time zone difference before you call your cousin in Australia."
Technical
"The server logs are stamped in UTC, requiring conversion to the user's local time zone offset."
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “time zone”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “time zone”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “time zone”
- Incorrect article use: 'Live in *the* time zone' vs. 'Live in *a* time zone' (both possible, depends on specificity).
- Spelling as one word ('timezone') in formal writing.
- Confusing 'time zone' with 'UTC offset' (a time zone has a name and may include DST rules; an offset is just the +/- hours).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
There are theoretically 24 one-hour time zones based on longitude. In practice, there are more due to political decisions, irregular boundaries, and half-hour or quarter-hour offsets.
For most practical purposes, yes. GMT is a time zone, while UTC is a time standard on which time zones are based. In casual use, they are often used interchangeably.
DST stands for Daylight Saving Time, the practice of advancing clocks during warmer months to extend evening daylight.
Because their landmass spans a significant east-west distance. Having one time zone for the entire country would mean solar noon (when the sun is highest) occurs at very different clock times in the east and west.
A region of the globe that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes.
Time zone is usually neutral to technical in register.
Time zone: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtaɪm ˌzəʊn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtaɪm ˌzoʊn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “to be in a different time zone (figuratively: to be out of touch or slow to react)”
- “jet across three time zones”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine the globe divided into vertical ZONES, like orange segments, each with its own TIME.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS SPACE (mapped onto the Earth's surface).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary factor defining a time zone?