dynamometer

American

[dahy-nuh-mom-i-ter] / ˌdaɪ nəˈmɒm ɪ tər /

noun

a device for measuring mechanical force, as a balance.
a device for measuring mechanical power, especially one that measures the output or driving torque of a rotating machine.

dynamometer British

/ ˌdaɪnəˈmɒmɪtə /

noun

any of a number of instruments for measuring power or force

"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 dynamometer

First recorded in 1800–10; dynamo- + -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.

However, examples of ideas by which this could happen are to allow increased amounts of dynamometer testing or an increased engine budget cap to any who end up behind.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2025

Handgrip strength, or isometric grip, is measured via a handgrip dynamometer which is gripped and squeezed to record the maximum force a person can produce over a few seconds.

From Science Daily • Dec. 6, 2024

The Super Bee is a pavement-shredding beast of a car thanks to a 440-cubic-inch Dodge engine that produced 512 horsepower on a dynamometer.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2021

A second group was challenged with a hand dynamometer, which measures grip strength.

From The New Yorker • May 13, 2017

Dynamog′eny, production of increased nervous activity; Dynam′ograph, a recording dynamometer: an instrument for marking the degree of compression of an elliptic spring.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023