barometer

noun ba·rom·e·ter \ bə-ˈrä-mə-tər \

|Updated on: 17 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: When did barometer become figurative?

Definition of barometer

1 : an instrument for determining the pressure of the atmosphere and hence for assisting in forecasting weather and for determining altitude (see altitude 1a)

2 : something that indicates fluctuations (as in public opinion)

housing sales and other economic barometers

3 : standard, test

a barometer to measure high school talent
—Jeff Fellenzer

—

barometric

play \ˌber-ə-ˈme-trik, ˌba-rə-\ adjective

—

barometrically

play \-tri-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

barometry

play \bə-ˈrä-mə-trē\ noun

See barometer defined for English-language learners

See barometer defined for kids

Examples of barometer in a Sentence

a legendary Broadway flop that has subsequently become the barometer by which failure in the theater is judged

Recent Examples of barometer from the Web

Defaults in the corporate bond market—a barometer of business conditions—ticked up before the first major round of trade tariffs hit this month.

— lingling wei, WSJ, "China’s Effort to Control Debt Loses Steam," 12 July 2018
For New Yorker Robert Sullivan, the act of giving directions functions as a barometer of a city’s health, because at the heart of all urban environments, both ones that thrive and ones that fail, is something very basic: human interactions.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "How Brooklyn Lost Itself," 6 July 2018
Ekdal’s play in central midfield is a good barometer.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "World Cup schedule, TV and streaming info: Sweden-Switzerland, Colombia-England," 2 July 2018
The national hunt arguably serves as the best barometer for grouse numbers in the Upper Midwest.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: With West Nile a threat and numbers down, the ruffed grouse season will end early," 27 June 2018
The election was seen as a barometer of the public mood ahead of general elections in 2019.

— huizhong wu, CNN, "India's BJP forms new government in Karnataka -- for now," 17 May 2018
However contested its public impact may be, pop-culture protest serves as a vital barometer of American attitudes.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Can Protest Art Get Its Mojo Back?," 7 May 2018
Edward Stines not to set sail because the barometer was falling fast at Benton Harbor.

— ann zaniewski, Detroit Free Press, "8 undiscovered shipwrecks of the Great Lakes," 22 June 2018
Copper, a barometer for industrial activity, was down, as was crude oil.

— matt phillips, New York Times, "Stocks Fall as Wall St. Turns Its Focus to Escalating U.S.-China Trade War," 19 June 2018

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

When did barometer become figurative?

Originally, barometer referred to an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure. Although this meaning is still very much in use, the word has taken on a strongly figurative sense denoting something that signals changes in conditions not necessarily related to the weather. This extended use of barometer has existed since at least the early 18th century, when Isaac Bickerstaff used it in an article in The Tatler: “I have an Engine in my Study, which is a Sort of a Political Barometer, or, to speak more intelligibly, a State Weather-Glass.”