vestibular system

British

noun

the sensory mechanism in the inner ear that detects movement of the head and helps to control balance

"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

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.

Our sense of balance draws on the vestibular system of ear canals as well as sight and proprioception.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

Microgravity also distorts the vestibular system, which is how you balance and sense which way is up.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025

Try looking at a spot far away and focusing on it, Duyka said, which “can often help what we call the vestibular system — or your balance system — settle down.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 5, 2024

Only in this case, that mismatched perception is a result of the organs and hairs of the vestibular system floating free without their usual gravitational signals.

From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2023

The feelings it generates disrupt the vestibular system, which senses changes in motion, orientation, position and the speed of the body.

From Scientific American • Mar. 28, 2023

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