Word
UTC
Phoneticsutc
Definitions
01world time standard
n. Stands for Coordinated Universal Time. This is the official time used around the world to keep clocks synchronized.
n. Abbreviation for Coordinated Universal Time. The international standard for civil time, kept within one second of solar time by leap seconds.
“The international flight is scheduled to depart at 14:00 UTC.”
“Network administrators must ensure that all servers are synchronized to UTC to prevent discrepancies in time-stamped transaction logs.”
Technical
Usage
Usually used without an article when referring to the time standard itself.
Teaching tip
Learners should know that UTC replaced GMT as the official standard, though the two are often used interchangeably in casual conversation.
Synonyms
02traffic laws
n. Stands for Uniform Traffic Code. It is a set of rules for driving and traffic in some regions.
n. Abbreviation for Uniform Traffic Code. A standardized set of traffic laws adopted by various jurisdictions to ensure consistency in road regulations.
“The officer cited a specific section of the UTC during the traffic stop.”
“The municipal government voted to adopt the latest revisions of the UTC to better manage the increase in electric scooter traffic.”
American English · Technical · Formal
Usage
Typically used with 'the' when referring to the specific legal document.
Teaching tip
This sense is highly specific to legal and administrative contexts in the United States.
Synonyms
Etymology
A compromise initialism between English CUT (“Coordinated Universal Time”) and French TUC (“Temps Universel Coordonné”), unofficially giving “Universal Time Coordinated” and “Universel Temps Coordonné”.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/utc