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

Stick thermometer through top vent. —Paula Disbrowe, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 May 2026

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken breast registers 155°F, 20 to 25 minutes. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 17 May 2026

The kitchen’s probe thermometer was not available. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado may 15, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026

The temperature is the actual air reading — what a thermometer records in the shade. —Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 May 2026

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
• chronometer
• geometer
• hydrometer
• hygrometer
• kilometer
• micrometer
• odometer
• photometer
• psychrometer
• pycnometer
• pyrometer

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