barometer

noun ba·rom·e·ter \ bə-ˈrä-mə-tər \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 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

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barometric

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

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barometrically

play \-tri-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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barometry

play \bə-ˈrä-mə-trē\ noun

See barometer defined for English-language learners

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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

Second highest on the disgust barometer were violations of hygiene norms, such as bad body odor.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Feeling disgust helps us stay healthy, study says," 4 June 2018
Many view the asset class, where investors typically take on greater risk for greater returns, as an important barometer of global economic health.

— ira iosebashvili, WSJ, "Dollar’s Strength Adds Stress to Emerging Market Currencies," 3 June 2018
But one barometer never lies: the distinct boom of the speakers outfitted onto the cars driving down your block with windows open and stereo blaring.

— hannah giorgis, The Atlantic, "Cardi B’s ‘I Like It’ Is the Song of the Summer," 29 May 2018
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, a key barometer for borrowing costs for consumers and companies, last week topped 3.1%, its highest close in almost seven years.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Trump has blinked on China," 21 May 2018
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, a key barometer for borrowing costs for consumers and companies, last week topped 3.1%, its highest close in almost seven years.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Trump has blinked on China," 21 May 2018
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, a key barometer for borrowing costs for consumers and companies, last week topped 3.1%, its highest close in almost seven years.

— daniel kruger, WSJ, "U.S. Government Bonds Pay More Than Debt From Other Developed Nations," 20 May 2018
The most accurate barometer of their engagement is Green.

— lee jenkins, SI.com, "Big Hearts and Short Fuses: Draymond Green Doesn't Believe in Switch-Flipping," 16 May 2018
And the plotting of those data points, known as the yield curve, occupies an outsize space in the minds of those who consider the markets a crucial barometer of economic health.

— matt phillips, New York Times, "Bond Market Indicates Doubt About Trump’s Economic Targets," 11 May 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.”