tachometer

American  

[ta-kom-i-ter, tuh-] / tæˈkɒm ɪ tər, tə- /

noun

1. any of various instruments for measuring or indicating velocity or speed, as of a machine, a river, or the blood.

2. an instrument measuring revolutions per minute, as of an engine.

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tachometer British  

/ tæˈkɒmɪtə /

noun

1. any device for measuring speed, esp the rate of revolution of a shaft. Tachometers (rev counters) are often fitted to cars to indicate the number of revolutions per minute of the engine

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Other Word Forms

• tachometry
  noun
• tachometric
  adjective
• tachometrically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of tachometer

First recorded in 1800–10; tacho- + -meter

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tachometer

Watch as the graphically animated tachometer needle fans through a couple of full-power upshifts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

Sport: tachometer front and center with your digital speed slightly to the upper right.

From The Verge ● Aug. 8, 2022

Upshift with the tachometer at 2,000 to 2,500 rpm, not 3,000, Toyota advises.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2022

He lost radio communication with his team at one point, his tachometer broke and his engine grew hot enough that water was spewing from under the hood.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2012

I guess the first thing that Lindy watched was the tachometer.

From Famous Flyers And Their Famous Flights by J. J. Grayson