Illustration of metronome
metronome
noun
met·ro·nome
ˈme-trə-ˌnōm 
: a device designed to mark exact time by a regularly repeated tick
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The patent for the metronome was entered in 1816: "John Malzl [sic], of Poland-street, Middlesex, Machinist; for an instrument . . . which he denominates a Metronome, or musical time-keeper." The courts, however, later proved that the aforementioned Johann Maelzel copied a pendulum design of Dietrich Winkel, making Winkel the actual inventor. Nonetheless, Maelzel was the more successful marketer of the metronome and even has a notation named after him. The "M.M." in notations like "M.M. = 60" stands for "Maelzel's metronome" and indicates a tempo of 60 beats per minute or a beat per tick of the metronome as it ticks 60 times, in the case of our example. The name of the invention itself is based on the Greek words metron, meaning "measure," and nomos, meaning "law."
Examples of metronome in a Sentence
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These days, the top teams rarely want a pure destroyer; the number 6 has to provide defensive cover, but also make key passes, manipulate space and keep things moving like a metronome.
—
Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Forty years on, Eve Lom has turned the nightly cleanse into a metronome — skincare that keeps the tempo of life and the psyche perfectly in sync.
—Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Scientists treat the resonances as useful geophysical probes, not a cosmic metronome for human consciousness.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
The third-year kicker is as reliable as a metronome for Regis, connecting on 74 of 77 extra points and 20 of 26 field goals with a long of 52 yards over the past two seasons.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2025
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Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Forty years on, Eve Lom has turned the nightly cleanse into a metronome — skincare that keeps the tempo of life and the psyche perfectly in sync.
—Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Scientists treat the resonances as useful geophysical probes, not a cosmic metronome for human consciousness.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
The third-year kicker is as reliable as a metronome for Regis, connecting on 74 of 77 extra points and 20 of 26 field goals with a long of 52 yards over the past two seasons.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for metronome
Cite this Entry
“Metronome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metronome. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
metronome
noun
met·ro·nome
ˈme-trə-ˌnōm
: an instrument that ticks regularly to help a music student play in exact time
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