Editing Timer (section)

{{Short description|Clock for measuring time duration}}
{{About|the type of clock|the 2009 film|Timer (film)|the cartoon character|Time for Timer}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}
[[File:Farberware-Minute-Timer-White.jpg|thumb|A typical kitchen timer]]

A '''timer''' or '''countdown timer''' is a type of [[clock]] that starts from a specified time duration and stops upon reaching 00:00. It can also usually be stopped manually before the whole duration has elapsed. An example of a simple timer is an [[hourglass]]. Commonly, a timer triggers an alarm when it ends. A timer can be implemented through [[Electronic hardware|hardware]] or [[software]].
[[Stopwatch|''Stopwatches'']] operate in the opposite direction, upwards from 00:00, measuring elapsed time since a given time instant. 
''[[Time switch]]es'' are timers that control an electric [[switch]].