thermometer

noun

ther·​mom·​e·​ter thər-ˈmä-mə-tər 

thə-ˈmä-mə-tər

plural thermometers

: an instrument for determining temperature

specifically : one consisting of a sensor housed in a metal probe that registers a change in electrical resistance as a change in temperature

thermometric

ˌthər-mə-ˈme-trik 

adjective

thermometrically

ˌthər-mə-ˈme-tri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of thermometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bake in preheated oven until tomatoes burst and a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of thighs registers 165°F, about 45 minutes. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 28 June 2025

The kit will be stocked with all the essentials such as bandages, antiseptics, and tools such as a thermometer. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2025

In June, barbecue foods and accessories began rising up shopping lists including cucumbers, mangoes, and water-resistant sunscreen as well as grill-cleaning brushes and digital meat thermometers. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 June 2025

Even in places where heat is recognized as a dangerous health threat, people can be caught off guard as the thermometer creeps higher, on average, each year. —Brian Bossak, The Conversation, 19 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

French thermomètre, from Greek thermē heat + French -o- + -mètre -meter — more at therm

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing thermometer

• clinical thermometer
• dry bulb thermometer
• forehead thermometer
• temporal artery thermometer
• temporal thermometer

Rhymes for thermometer

• barometer
• bolometer
• chronometer
• geometer
• hydrometer
• hygrometer
• kilometer
• micrometer
• odometer
• photometer
• psychrometer
• pycnometer

Kids Definition

thermometer

noun

ther·​mom·​e·​ter thə(r)-ˈmäm-ət-ər 

: an instrument for measuring temperature

thermometric

ˌthər-mə-ˈme-trik 

adjective

Medical Definition

thermometer

noun

ther·​mom·​e·​ter thə(r)-ˈmäm-ət-ər 

: an instrument for determining temperature that usually consists either of a device providing a digital readout or of a glass bulb attached to a fine tube of glass with a numbered scale and containing a liquid (as mercury or colored alcohol) that is sealed in and rises and falls with changes of temperature