pedometer
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pedometer
1723; < French pédomètre, equivalent to péd- (learned use of Latin ped- foot (stem of pēs ); see pedi-) + -omètre ( see -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.
Vocabulary lists containing pedometer
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.
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
As I crossed 25th Street, and the pedometer on my iPhone hit nearly 14,000 steps, I finally spotted a sign at the gourmet grocer Fairway Market.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 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
Adding gamification techniques to a pedometer is not an original idea, per se, but sometimes we need a reminder that our world is full of wonder rather than a notification to simply stand up.
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
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.
