thermometer

American  

[ther-mom-i-ter] / θərˈmɒm ɪ tər /

noun

1. an instrument for measuring temperature, often a sealed glass tube that contains a column of liquid, as mercury, that expands and contracts, or rises and falls, with temperature changes, the temperature being read where the top of the column coincides with a calibrated scale marked on the tube or its frame.

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thermometer British  

/ θəˈmɒmɪtə /

noun

1. an instrument used to measure temperature, esp one in which a thin column of liquid, such as mercury, expands and contracts within a graduated sealed tube See also clinical thermometer gas thermometer resistance thermometer thermocouple pyrometer

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thermometer Scientific  

/ thər-mŏm′ĭ-tər /

1. An instrument used to measure temperature. There are many types of thermometers; the most common consist of a closed, graduated glass tube in which a liquid expands or contracts as the temperature increases or decreases. Other types of thermometers work by detecting changes in the volume or pressure of an enclosed gas or by registering thermoelectric changes in a conductor (such as a thermistor or thermocouple).

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Other Word Forms

• thermometric
  adjective
• thermometrical
  adjective
• thermometrically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of thermometer

First recorded in 1615–25; thermo- + -meter

Explanation

A thermometer is a tool that measures temperature — how hot or cold something is. Thermometers are used to see if you have a fever or tell you how cold it is outside. Made up of thermo (heat) and meter (measuring device), the meaning of the word thermometer is pretty straightforward. Thermometers measure temperatures in degrees, according to either the Celsius or Fahrenheit system. Meteorologists use thermometers to find out how hot it is or if it's below freezing. Doctors use thermometers to check your body temperature — a very high or low body temperature means you're sick.

Example Sentences

The higher-end Pixel 8 Pro also gets a temperature sensor and Google said it had filed an application with the FDA to enable the Thermometer App to take body temperature.

From Reuters • Oct. 4, 2023

Yesenia Navarro, a 33-year-old employee at the World’s Largest Thermometer gift shop, hates what COVID-19 has done to her once close-knit community.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2020

The compact, durable Lavatools PT12 Javelin Meat Thermometer produces a temperature reading in about three seconds, and it displays the reading on a large LCD screen that’s easy to see even in low light.

From Slate • Jun. 29, 2018

“All hands in Clean whites. Thermometer up to 88 in the shade,” Isermann wrote.

From Washington Times • Apr. 15, 2017

Mountain Thermometer; sometimes called Hypsometric Apparatus.—We have now to examine the construction of the boiling-point thermometer, and its necessary appendages, as adapted for the determination of heights.

From A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments Explanatory of Their Scientific Principles, Method of Construction, and Practical Utility by Negretti, Henry

Related Words

• instrument
• thermostat