odometer

noun

odom·​e·​ter ō-ˈdä-mə-tər How to pronounce odometer (audio)
: an instrument for measuring the distance traveled (as by a vehicle)

Did you know?

Odometer includes the root from the Greek word hodos, meaning "road" or "trip". An odometer shares space on your dashboard with a speedometer, a tachometer, and maybe a "tripmeter". The odometer is what crooked car salesmen tamper with when they want to reduce the mileage a car registers as having traveled. One of life's little pleasures is watching the odometer as all the numbers change at the same time.

Examples of odometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Garcia lifted Wilson, who uses a wheelchair, into the front seat of his work vehicle, a white Toyota truck with nearly two hundred thousand miles on the odometer, then hoisted the chair into its bed. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024 But until that moment, Auriemma’s basketball odometer keeps ticking, headed toward the top spot as the winningest coach of all time. Dan Gelston, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024 For anyone on the hunt for a virtually brand-new example, today’s RM Sotheby’s auction in Paris will feature a 2021 Regera with 522 kilometers (324 miles) on its odometer. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 31 Jan. 2024 In addition to having just 13,000 miles on the odometer, it was also treated to a full mechanical and cosmetic refresh in 2017 by the current owner. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 18 Jan. 2024 There was one more problem — a 600-mile gap between the odometer reading reported by Hertz and the one reported on your return. Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, 1 Jan. 2024 The bright red coupé doesn’t just look good, though—it’s also got just 64 miles on the odometer. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 8 Jan. 2024 If all that wasn’t intriguing enough, the car has just 587 miles on the odometer. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 3 Jan. 2024 The car has 38,000 miles on the odometer, only 2,000 of which have been put on by the star. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'odometer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French odomètre, from Greek hodometron, from hodos way, road + metron measure — more at measure

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of odometer was in 1791

Dictionary Entries Near odometer

Cite this Entry

“Odometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odometer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

odometer

noun
odom·​e·​ter ō-ˈdäm-ət-ər How to pronounce odometer (audio)
: an instrument for measuring distance traveled (as by a vehicle)

More from Merriam-Webster on odometer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!