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odometer

noun
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odom·​e·​ter | \ ō-ˈdä-mə-tər How to pronounce odometer (audio) \

Definition of odometer

: an instrument for measuring the distance traveled (as by a vehicle)
Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about odometer

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Did You Know?

Odometer includes the root from the Greek word hodos, meaning "road" or "trip". An odometer shares space on your dashboard with a speedometer, a tachometer, and maybe a "tripmeter". The odometer is what crooked car salesmen tamper with when they want to reduce the mileage a car registers as having traveled. One of life's little pleasures is watching the odometer as all the numbers change at the same time.

Examples of odometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The last official odometer for the Escalade, according to a CARFAX report, shows 158,052 miles — and still rolling along a decade after that fateful crash. — Josh Peter, USA TODAY, "10 years after Tiger Woods' crash: Untold stories of some connected to Woods' scandal," 26 Nov. 2019 The odometer shows 17,000 miles, which probably means the car has rolled a total of 117,000 miles. — Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, "Crosley Super Convertible: Half-Pint Roadster From An Age Of Giants," 20 July 2017 Role players cash in and leave champions while star players add plenty of mileage to their career odometers. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "How DeMarcus Cousins Helped Flip the NBA Finals," 5 June 2019 As the Rebelle Rally rules dictate, the Ford F-150 was factory original with the exception of a special odometer that’s accurate down to a meter. — Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, "Resilient women hunt adventure, checkpoints in Rebelle Rally," 8 Nov. 2019 But Tesloop, a shuttle service in Southern California comprised solely of Teslas, was ticking the odometers of its cars well past 300,000 miles with no signs of slowing. — Michael J. Coren, Quartz, "Electric cars are changing the cost of driving," 8 Nov. 2019 A few years ago and this bout might have been a coin flip, but Kovalev has a lot of mileage on his odometer. — Joe Williams, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, "Alvarez-Kovalev odds: Sergey Kovalev big underdog vs. Canelo Alvarez," 1 Nov. 2019 At that point, the pickup’s odometer was close to turning over 100,000 miles (160,927 kilometers). — San Diego Union-Tribune, "APNewsBreak: Records show Montana official’s vehicle misuse," 12 Oct. 2019 Top centers Patrice Bergeron and Krejci both are working with high odometers. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bruins open camp Friday, but will the Stanley Cup loss linger? - The Boston Globe," 13 Sep. 2019

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

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First Known Use of odometer

1791, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for odometer

French odomètre, from Greek hodometron, from hodos way, road + metron measure — more at measure

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Time Traveler for odometer

Time Traveler

The first known use of odometer was in 1791

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Statistics for odometer

Last Updated

16 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Odometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odometer. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for odometer

odometer

noun
How to pronounce odometer (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of odometer

chiefly US : a device in a car, truck, etc., that measures the distance that the vehicle has traveled

See the full definition for odometer in the English Language Learners Dictionary

odometer

noun
odom·​e·​ter | \ ō-ˈdä-mə-tər How to pronounce odometer (audio) \

Kids Definition of odometer

: an instrument for measuring the distance traveled (as by a vehicle)

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More from Merriam-Webster on odometer

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with odometer

Spanish Central: Translation of odometer

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about odometer

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