diff --git a/doc/src/variable.rst b/doc/src/variable.rst
index 8ef3e4e82f..3298ae1684 100644
--- a/doc/src/variable.rst
+++ b/doc/src/variable.rst
@@ -425,15 +425,15 @@ python-style variable can be used in place of an equal-style variable
 anywhere in an input script, e.g. as an argument to another command
 that allows for equal-style variables.
 
-For the *timer* style no additional argument is specified.  The value
-of the variable is set by querying the current elapsed CPU time of the
-simulation.  This is done at the point in time the variable is defined
-in the input script.  If a second timer-style variable is also
-defined, then a simple formula can be used to calculate the elapsed
-time between the two timers, as in the example above.  As mentioned
-above, timer-style variables can be redefined elsewhere in the input
-script, so the same pair of variables can be used in a loop or to time
-a series of operations.
+For the *timer* style no additional argument is specified.  The value of
+the variable is set by querying the current elapsed wall time of the
+simulation.  This is done at the point in time when the variable is
+defined in the input script.  If a second timer-style variable is also
+defined, then a simple formula can be used to calculate the elapsed time
+between the two timers, as in the example at the top of this manual
+entry.  As mentioned above, timer-style variables can be redefined
+elsewhere in the input script, so the same pair of variables can be used
+in a loop or to time a series of operations.
 
 For the *internal* style a numeric value is provided.  This value will
 be assigned to the variable until a LAMMPS command sets it to a new
diff --git a/src/variable.cpp b/src/variable.cpp
index 71fb665954..81ec3ced17 100644
--- a/src/variable.cpp
+++ b/src/variable.cpp
@@ -501,10 +501,10 @@ void Variable::set(int narg, char **arg)
     }
 
   // TIMER
-  // stores current MPI_Wtime() as a string
+  // stores current walltime as a timestamp in seconds
   // replace pre-existing var if also style TIMER (allows reset with current time)
   // num = 1, for string representation of dvalue, set by retrieve()
-  // dvalue = numeric initialization via platform::cputime()
+  // dvalue = numeric initialization via platform::walltime()
 
   } else if (strcmp(arg[1],"timer") == 0) {
     if (narg != 2) error->all(FLERR,"Illegal variable command");
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ void Variable::set(int narg, char **arg)
     if (ivar >= 0) {
       if (style[ivar] != TIMER)
         error->all(FLERR,"Cannot redefine variable as a different style");
-      dvalue[ivar] = platform::cputime();
+      dvalue[ivar] = platform::walltime();
       replaceflag = 1;
     } else {
       if (nvar == maxvar) grow();
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ void Variable::set(int narg, char **arg)
       pad[nvar] = 0;
       data[nvar] = new char*[num[nvar]];
       data[nvar][0] = new char[VALUELENGTH];
-      dvalue[nvar] = platform::cputime();
+      dvalue[nvar] = platform::walltime();
     }
 
   // INTERNAL