barometer

American  

[buh-rom-i-ter] / bəˈrɒm ɪ tər /

noun

1. Meteorology. any instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.

2. anything that indicates changes.

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barometer British  

/ ˌbærəˈmɛtrɪk, bəˈrɒmɪtə /

noun

1. an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure, usually to determine altitude or weather changes

2. anything that shows change or impending change

   the barometer of social change

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barometer Scientific  

/ bə-rŏm′ĭ-tər /

1. An instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure. Barometers are used in determining height above sea level and in forecasting the weather. The two primary types of barometers are the aneroid and the mercury barometer.

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barometer Cultural  

1. An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.

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Discover More

In general, when the barometer falls in response to a drop in pressure, bad weather is approaching; when the barometer rises because of an increase in pressure, good weather will follow.

Other Word Forms

• barometric adjective
• barometrical adjective
• barometrically adverb
• barometry noun

Etymology

Origin of barometer

First recorded in 1655–65; baro- + -meter

Explanation

A barometer is a device that measures atmospheric pressure. Barometers help meteorologists figure out what the weather is going to be like. Sure, it's technically a weather man's tool — but you can use barometer more generally to describe anything that can be used to forecast or measure something else. The stock market is a barometer for economic health. Your grades are a barometer of how you're doing in school. For the President, a national poll is a barometer of political success. These kinds of barometers tell which way the wind is blowing — just not literally.

Example Sentences

Catholics have long served as a barometer of acceptance for newcomers and the working class.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

The Geneva watch fair opens on Tuesday and will be taken as a barometer of how the Middle East war is affecting the luxury goods sector.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

The latter seems to be the best financial barometer of the state of the crisis.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Weaker consumer confidence tallies with the worsening of sentiment among German firms, as shown by the Ifo Institute’s barometer on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

It is true that knowledge of air pressure was widespread by 1712, and any explanation of the workings of a barometer would have conveyed to Newcomen the discoveries of Torricelli and Pascal.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton