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metronome

American  
[me-truh-nohm] / ˈmɛ trəˌnoʊm /

noun

  1. a mechanical or electrical instrument that makes repeated clicking sounds at an adjustable pace, used for marking rhythm, especially in practicing music.

metronome British  
/ ˌmɛtrəˈnɒmɪk, ˈmɛtrəˌnəʊm /

noun

  1. a mechanical device which indicates the exact tempo of a piece of music by producing a clicking sound from a pendulum with an adjustable period of swing

"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

Other Word Forms

  • metronomic adjective
  • metronomical adjective
  • metronomically adverb

Etymology

Origin of metronome

1810–20; metro- 1 + -nome < Greek nómos rule, law

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.

The danger of these big moves—which are like a giant metronome that swings over the market—is that they can infect the analytical mind-set needed to successfully navigate markets with the momentum-trading virus.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

These are the bluebloods, the old money of the investment world, steady as a metronome and just as thrilling.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

Who is the new-ball metronome to be the TikTok generation's Chris Woakes?

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2025

The announcements came like a metronome at the start of last season, a steady stream of almost weekly news releases from the Dodgers announcing one Japanese sponsorship deal after the next.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2024

Proud of a man and his wife, proud of a cause and a heartbeat that was a metronome for us long before the crossover audience considered them worthy of praise.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.