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

For decades, the Pentagon’s fallback has been inertial navigation systems (INS), which use gyroscopes and accelerometers to track motion without external signals. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025

Onboard CPUs and GPUs, reinforcement learning (RL), physics engines, proprioception, computer vision with real-time object recognition, SLAM navigation, IMUs with gyros and accelerometers, tactile sensors, microcontrollers, servos, and batteries good for hours of runtime – the list goes on. —Joe Salas august 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2025

Instead of using accelerometers and gyroscopes, a quantum sensor measures rotation and acceleration at the atomic level. —Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2025

Though iPhones have accelerometers, too, Apple doesn’t use them for earthquake detection. —Kim Komando The Kim Komando Show, FOXNews.com, 30 July 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