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

Lack of accurate thermometers in all refrigeration/freezer units storing TCS food. —Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025

The temperature is the actual air reading — what a thermometer records in the shade. —Brandi D. Addison, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025

The restaurant’s probe thermometer was not working. —Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025

This realistic doctor’s coat has everything your aspiring doctor needs to give their patients a check-up, including a face mask, a stethoscope with sound effects (AAA batteries not included), thermometer, syringe, reflex hammer, and reusable name tag. —Katrina Cossey, Parents, 1 Oct. 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