gyrocompass
noun
gy·ro·com·pass
ˈjī-rō-ˌkəm-pəs 
also -ˌkäm-
: a compass consisting of a continuously driven gyroscope whose spinning axis is confined to a horizontal plane so that the earth's rotation causes it to assume a position parallel to the earth's axis and thus point to the true north
Examples of gyrocompass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His submarine tumbled flailing into the water, its gyrocompass already broken.
—
Chieko Tsuneoka, WSJ, 7 Dec. 2021
Among the downstream effects of the steam-engine malfunction was the failure of the gyrocompass, the principal tool that the Palau’s navigation team relied upon.
—Annie Murphy Paul, Wired, 15 June 2021
Without the gyrocompass, the team had to manually ascertain the position of the ship, relying on bearings taken from multiple landmarks on shore.
—Annie Murphy Paul, Wired, 15 June 2021
When Perry was writing, gyrocompasses were cutting-edge, immature technology.
—Frank Wilczek, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The first of these is the EM3000 multi-beam sonar — a portable hydrographic mapping system consisting of a transducer, motion sensor, gyrocompass, and navigation system.
—Louise Knapp, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2001
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Chieko Tsuneoka, WSJ, 7 Dec. 2021
Among the downstream effects of the steam-engine malfunction was the failure of the gyrocompass, the principal tool that the Palau’s navigation team relied upon.
—Annie Murphy Paul, Wired, 15 June 2021
Without the gyrocompass, the team had to manually ascertain the position of the ship, relying on bearings taken from multiple landmarks on shore.
—Annie Murphy Paul, Wired, 15 June 2021
When Perry was writing, gyrocompasses were cutting-edge, immature technology.
—Frank Wilczek, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The first of these is the EM3000 multi-beam sonar — a portable hydrographic mapping system consisting of a transducer, motion sensor, gyrocompass, and navigation system.
—Louise Knapp, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2001
Cite this Entry
“Gyrocompass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gyrocompass. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gyrocompass
noun
gy·ro·com·pass
ˈjī-rō-ˌkəm-pəs
also -ˌkäm-
: a compass consisting of a constantly spinning gyroscope whose spin axis is always parallel to the earth's axis of rotation so that the compass always points to true north
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