speedometer

American  

[spee-dom-i-ter, spi-] / spiˈdɒm ɪ tər, spɪ- /

noun

1. an instrument on an automobile or other vehicle for indicating the rate of travel in miles or kilometers per hour.

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speedometer British  

/ spɪˈdɒmɪtə /

noun

1. a device fitted to a vehicle to measure and display the speed of travel See also mileometer

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speedometer Scientific  

/ spĭ-dŏm′ĭ-tər /

1. An instrument for indicating the speed of a vehicle, typically by measuring the rate of rotation of a wheel or fan whose rate of rotation depends on the speed of the vehicle.

2. Compare odometer

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Etymology

Origin of speedometer

First recorded in 1900–05; speed + -o- + -meter

Example Sentences

The reading on the speedometer this week is 9.6, the highest since March 2006.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 6, 2026

With “Eddington,” Aster attempts to chronicle how we reached this moment, holding a speedometer to the commotion and tracking how quickly it all fell apart.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2025

The speedometer was frozen on 65mph and could have been travelling at 70mph or faster on impact, police found.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2025

The clock measures how fast a person's body is deteriorating as they grow older, "like a speedometer for the biological processes of aging," explained Belsky.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2024

Their speedometer topped out at eighty miles an hour, and with his foot to the floor, Barry had them at the limit.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone