odometer

noun

odom·​e·​ter ō-ˈdä-mə-tər 

: 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

The car, which has been formerly raced at Road America, has over 40,000 miles on its odometer, but has been well looked after over the years and remains in terrific shape. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 15 May 2024

That’s why Wright doesn’t have a high odometer reading (368 carries and 30 receptions in three seasons) entering the NFL, which is something that usually appealed to NFL teams. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024

Brunelle’s uncle told the Malheur newspaper that the odometer had logged 300 miles for the trip. —Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024

Mecum says the car has only 119 miles on the odometer, which means it’s barely been driven, if at all, since leaving the factory. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024

The fact that the supercar is even up for grabs is noteworthy enough, but this example also has less than 100 miles on the odometer. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024

Oregon, Utah and Virginia have active road charge programs that collect mileage information through odometer readings or vehicle plug in devices. —Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024

Showing less than 7,000 kilometers (4,950 miles) on its odometer, the example crossing the auction block is accompanied by more than $170,000 in service receipts, a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate, and a workshop manual. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2024

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

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

Kids Definition

odometer

noun

odom·​e·​ter ō-ˈdäm-ət-ər 

: an instrument for measuring distance traveled (as by a vehicle)