altimeter

[ al-tim-i-ter, al-tuh-mee-ter ]

/ ælˈtɪm ɪ tər, ˈæl təˌmi tər /

noun

a sensitive aneroid barometer that is graduated and calibrated, used chiefly in aircraft for finding distance above sea level, terrain, or some other reference point by a comparison of air pressures.

any device used for the same purpose that operates by some other means, as by radio waves.

Nearby words

although, althusser, alti-, altigraph, altiloquent, altimeter, altimetrical, altimetrically, altimetry, altiplano, altissimo

Origin of altimeter

First recorded in 1820–30; alti- + -meter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for altimeter

Some trackers come with a built in altimeter to keep you honest on the number of stairs you take each day.
7 FitBit Hacks to Burn More Calories in 2014|Megan Humphreys|January 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A tracker with an altimeter will give you a far more accurate picture of calories-burned.
How to Find the Best Fitness Tracker for You|Brent Rose|November 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When the altimeter marked thirteen thousand she began to worry, for the service ceiling of her plane was but two thousand higher.
Dorothy Dixon and the Mystery Plane|Dorothy Wayne
My altimeter registered only two hundred and fifty metres, and the French lines were far distant.
High Adventure|James Norman Hall

Smithy glanced past him at the lighted instruments and found the altimeter.
Two Thousand Miles Below|Charles Willard Diffin
A glance at the altimeter told him that his eyes were not lying.
Dave Dawson on the Russian Front|R. Sidney Bowen
The altimeter showed slightly over forty-two miles when stage two detached itself.
Tight Squeeze|Dean Charles Ing

British Dictionary definitions for altimeter

altimeter

/ (ælˈtɪmɪtə, ˈæltɪˌmiːtə) /

noun

an instrument that indicates height above sea level, esp one based on an aneroid barometer and fitted to an aircraft

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

Science definitions for altimeter

altimeter

[ ăl-tĭm′ĭ-tər ]

An instrument that measures and indicates the height above sea level at which an object, such as an airplane, is located.