accelerometer

American

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

noun

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

accelerometer British

/ ækˌsɛləˈrɒmɪtə /

noun

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:

accelerometer

The smart brick contains an accelerometer, a mini speaker and sensors for light, sound and the NFC chips embedded in compatible Smart Play tags and minifigures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026

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

From Salon ● May 2, 2025

The accelerometer data were used to estimate daily step count and time spent sedentary, that is sitting or lying down while awake.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 5, 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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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023