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

There’s a cool factor to the whole concept of biometrics, of buying some product with your palm or face.

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

The reliance on biometrics and cryptocurrency has generated negative publicity and regulatory pushback, however, including headline-making bans in some countries over concerns about data security.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Despite Smirnoff’s talk of ending all crime, the statement Ring shared said that Search Party “does not process human biometrics or track people.”

From Salon • Feb. 18, 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