accelerometer

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​om·​e·​ter ik-ˌse-lə-ˈrä-mə-tər 

ak-

: an instrument for measuring acceleration or for detecting and measuring vibrations

Examples of accelerometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers in China analyzed data from 85,000 people without heart disease who were registered in the UK Biobank, a dataset that tracked participants’ physical activity levels using accelerometers and recorded heart events and deaths over an average of seven years. —Alice Park, Time, 28 Oct. 2025

Before modern instruments like strong-motion accelerometers, scientists estimated earthquake intensity based on visible damage and human reports. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

Researchers used accelerometers to track movement and activity was only measured once during that week, so potential changes in walking habit were not tracked. —Gina Park, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025

The women wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers to track their steps over seven days between 2011 and 2015. —Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French accéléromètre, from accélérer "to accelerate" (borrowed from Latin accelerāre) + -o- -o- + -mètre -meter

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for accelerometer

• interferometer
• potentiometer
• spectrophotometer
• anemometer
• audiometer
• densitometer
• diffractometer
• dilatometer
• dynamometer
• electrometer
• extensometer
• goniometer

Kids Definition

accelerometer

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​om·​e·​ter ik-ˌsel-ə-ˈräm-ət-ər 

ak-

: an instrument for measuring acceleration or for detecting and measuring vibrations

Medical Definition

accelerometer

noun

ac·​cel·​er·​om·​e·​ter ik-ˌsel-ə-ˈräm-ət-ər, ak- 

: an instrument for measuring acceleration or for detecting and measuring vibrations