pedometer

American  

[puh-dom-i-ter] / pəˈdɒm ɪ tər /

noun

1. an instrument worn by a walker or runner for recording the number of steps taken, thereby showing approximately the distance traveled.

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pedometer British  

/ pɪˈdɒmɪtə /

noun

1. a device containing a pivoted weight that records the number of steps taken in walking and hence the distance travelled

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Other Word Forms

• pedometrical adjective
• pedometrically adverb
• pedometrist noun

Etymology

Origin of pedometer

1723; < French pédomètre, equivalent to péd- (learned use of Latin ped- foot (stem of pēs ); pedi- ) + -omètre ( -o-, -meter )

Explanation

Want to keep track of how far you walk each day? You should get a pedometer, a portable device that measures every step you take. Break the word pedometer down into its roots and you get the Latin ped, or "foot," and the Greek metron, "a measure." That's exactly what a pedometer does: it measures each step your feet take. Most pedometers are small enough to carry with you while you walk, jog, or skip through your day, and they use the motion of your hand or hip to estimate how many steps you've taken.

Example Sentences

Many people aim for 10,000 steps a day, but that number came from a Japanese pedometer advertisement - not science.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025

But if you find yourself obsessing over your step count, or prefer types of movement that don’t register as steps, then put away the pedometer or delete the tracking app on your phone.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 25, 2023

The concept, according to Harvard Medical School researcher I-Min Lee, originated in 1965 in Japan with a pedometer designed to count—you guessed it—10,000 steps.

From Slate • Jan. 1, 2023

“Pikmin Bloom,” after all, is a pedometer that’s barely a game.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2021

She saw him give their parents a quick thumbs-up, and then he checked his pedometer.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead