instrument panel

American  

[in-struh-muhnt pan-l] / ˈɪn strə mənt ˌpæn l /

noun

1. Also called instrument board.  a panel on which are mounted an array of dials, lights, and gauges that monitor the performance of a machine or device, as an airplane.

2. Automotive. dashboard.

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instrument panel British  

noun

1. a panel on which instruments are mounted, as on a car See also dashboard

2. an array of instruments, gauges, etc, mounted to display the condition or performance of a machine or process

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Etymology

Origin of instrument panel

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The first sign of it was on page 23 of the brochure for the 1989 Ford Thunderbird, which revealed a subtle feature on the car’s instrument panel: a white arrow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

Tesla is recalling more than 2 million U.S. vehicles because some warning lights on the instrument panel are too small.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2024

He parked amid a cluster of American warplanes, tore a framed photograph of Kim Il-sung from his instrument panel, jumped out of his cockpit and threw the picture to the ground.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2023

Some Audi vehicles in 103 U.S. cities, using a different technology, can already communicate with traffic lights, with a countdown to a green light appearing on the instrument panel.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2022

My hands kept floating up in front of me, and I wished I had pockets or somewhere to put them to keep them out of the way of all the switches on the instrument panel.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Related Words

• dashboard