interferometer

noun

in·​ter·​fer·​om·​e·​ter ˌin-tər-fə-ˈrä-mə-tər 

ˌin-tə-, 

-ˌfi-ˈrä-

: an apparatus that utilizes the interference of waves (as of light) for precise determinations (as of distance or wavelength)

interferometric

ˌin-tər-ˌfir-ə-ˈme-trik 

ˌin-tə-

adjective

interferometrically

ˌin-tər-ˌfir-ə-ˈme-tri-k(ə-)lē 

ˌin-tə-

adverb

interferometry

ˌin-tər-fə-ˈrä-mə-trē 

ˌin-tə-, 

-ˌfi-ˈrä-

noun

Examples of interferometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Conducted in Cleveland, Ohio, the Michelson–Morley experiment used a piece of kit called a Michelson–Morley interferometer to test differences in speed for a wave of light traveling perpendicular to Earth and one traveling parallel to Earth. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 3 July 2026

Optical interferometers were invented more than a century ago, but orchestrating and combining signals from multiple telescopes across long baselines has proved much harder to accomplish with visible light compared to the relative ease of working in radio waves. — K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 27 May 2026

Their sculptures enlist quantum interferometers—an apparatus of mirrors and lasers—as well as holograms to show that our culture’s insistence on independence is misguided and wrong on the most fundamental scale. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026

Scientists in Wales have built the world’s most sensitive table-top interferometer, which is a miniature, ultra-precise instrument capable of measuring distortions in space-time smaller than a trillionth of a human hair. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for interferometer

• accelerometer
• potentiometer
• spectrophotometer
• anemometer
• audiometer
• densitometer
• diffractometer
• dilatometer
• dynamometer
• electrometer
• extensometer
• goniometer

Kids Definition

interferometer

noun

in·​ter·​fer·​om·​e·​ter ˌint-ə(r)-fə-ˈräm-ət-ər 

-ˌfir-ˈäm-

: an instrument that uses the interference of waves (as of light) for making exact measurements (as of wavelength)

Medical Definition

interferometer

noun

in·​ter·​fer·​om·​e·​ter ˌint-ə(r)-fə-ˈräm-ət-ər, -ˌfir-ˈäm- 

: an instrument that utilizes the interference of waves (as of light) for precise determination especially of wavelength, spectral fine structure, indices of refraction, and very small linear displacements

interferometric

-ˌfir-ə-ˈme-trik 

adjective

interferometrically

-tri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

interferometry

-fə-ˈräm-ə-trē, -ˌfir-ˈäm- 

noun

plural interferometries