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.

---

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

---

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

The effective head-up display will show, depending on operator selection, speed, speed limit, tachometer, compass and other things.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2016

Allow your eyes to dip down briefly to the tachometer.

From The Verge ● Feb. 9, 2016

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

The motor worked smoothly, the hand of the tachometer wavering around twelve hundred, and the altometer registering nine thousand feet, save when they dipped and lifted to the uneven currents over the mountains.

From The Thunder Bird by B. M. Bower

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---