This paper considers the $H_{infty}$ control problem for the uncertain time delay system with nonlinear external disturbance. Given a system containing nonlinear external disturbance, our purpose is to design a robust controller such that the uncertain system is asymptotically stable with a generalized $H_{infty}$ disturbance attenuation level $ ho$. In this paper we propose a new approach to design the controller for the uncertain system which is composed of a linear controller and an adaptive controller. The problem is solved by introducing a switching function and using the idea of formulation. Based on Lyapunov stability theory, new sufficient conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed controller design are shown via a numerical example.