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accelerometer

American  
[ak-sel-uh-rom-i-ter] / ækˌsɛl əˈrɒm ɪ tər /

noun

  1. an instrument for measuring acceleration, as of aircraft or guided missiles.


accelerometer British  
/ ækˌsɛləˈrɒmɪtə /

noun

  1. an instrument for measuring acceleration, esp of an aircraft or rocket

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of accelerometer

First recorded in 1900–05; acceler(ation) + -o- + -meter

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The 33,560 who made the final cut wore an accelerometer for about seven days to establish how much they typically walk.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 13, 2025

Most sleep trackers use an accelerometer to measure movement in sleep and track when the user is at rest.

From Salon May 2, 2025

Participants submitted data from a wrist-worn triaxial accelerometer that captured movement over seven days.

From Science Daily Nov. 15, 2024

Agile antechinuses are far too small for an accelerometer.

From New York Times Jan. 25, 2024

"All I have is accelerometer data. We'll need radar pings at intervals to work out his true final orbit."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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