biometrics

American  

[bahy-uh-me-triks] / ˌbaɪ əˈmɛ trɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. Biology, Statistics. biostatistics.

2. biometry.

3. the process by which a person's unique physical and other traits are detected and recorded by an electronic device or system as a means of confirming identity.

   Scanning of the human iris is a reliable form of biometrics.

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biometrics Cultural  

1. The measuring and analysis of such physical attributes as facial features and voice or retinal scans. This technology can be used to define an individual's unique identity, often for security purposes.

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Software is available that can match faces of individuals videotaped on the street to the picture of a suspected criminal or terrorist in a database. The use of biometrics is likely to increase in the future as security concerns become more of a priority for both governments and corporations following the September 11 attacks (2001).

Other Word Forms

• biometric
  adjective
• biometrical
  adjective
• biometrically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of biometrics

First recorded in 1900–05; biometr(y) + -ics

Example Sentences

And proponents argue that it pays to monitor your biometrics, often in real time, so your physician or medical team can swoop in at signs of trouble.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

“Your biometrics show major signs of something straining your body.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Is the risk worth a $10 coupon or a $50 voucher a company might give participants in a biometrics trial?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

How much would it change your life and approach to health if you had instant access to your quantified biometrics?

From Slate • Mar. 1, 2026

They are not trained in the use of evidence, nor in biometrics, nor in the psychology of human credulity, nor in the incidence of economic pressure.

From The Doctor's Dilemma: Preface on Doctors by Shaw, Bernard