altimeter

noun al·tim·e·ter \ al-ˈti-mə-tər , ˈal-tə-ˌmē-tər \

|Updated on: 6 Jul 2018

Definition of altimeter

: an instrument for measuring altitude; especially : an aneroid barometer designed to register changes in atmospheric pressure accompanying changes in altitude

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altimetry

play \al-ˈti-mə-trē\ noun

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Recent Examples of altimeter from the Web

While the radar altimeter displays the height of the landing gear above the ground, things are happening too fast to use it in the flare.

— john cox, USA TODAY, "Ask the Captain: It takes skill to make a smooth landing," 20 May 2018
Northwestern, the first team to proceed, unfortunately was disqualified after their altimeter failed and did not record the altitude.

— Scientific American, "The 2017 Alka-Rocket Challenge Wrap Up," 10 Nov. 2017
With a combination of high-resolution cameras, stereo images, altimeters, and spectrometers, Mars Express has revealed Mars in new and fascinating ways.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "Mars Express has revealed the Red Planet in stunning new ways," 1 June 2018
Other hardware perks include Fitbit's standard optical heart-rate monitor, a tri-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, an altimeter, and storage for about 300 songs.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Fitbit Versa review: Slowly but surely pushing Fitbit past the “fit” bit," 26 Mar. 2018
Pilots also monitor the altimeter, which is increasing, and the vertical speed indicator for a positive climb.

— john cox, USA TODAY, "Ask the Captain: How pilots execute takeoffs," 22 Apr. 2018
The latest models include GPS and mapping, in addition to an altimeter, barometer, and compass.

— jacob kastrenakes, The Verge, "Casio announces a cheaper version of its Wear OS watch for hikers," 17 Apr. 2018
Inside the Forerunner 645 Music is the typical bevy of sensors found in high-end Garmin devices: accelerometer, gyroscope, barometric altimeter, thermometer, compass, heart-rate monitor, and GPS and GLONASS.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Garmin Forerunner 645 Music review: The high price of tunes on a runner’s tool," 16 Mar. 2018
Established in 2009, IceBridge is an annual series of flights over both polar regions, surveying the state of the ice with a suite of instruments including laser altimeters, radars, magnetometers and gravimeters.

— TIME.com, "The Great Crack-Up," 19 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'altimeter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.