spirometer

noun

spi·​rom·​e·​ter spī-ˈrä-mə-tər How to pronounce spirometer (audio)
: an instrument for measuring the air entering and leaving the lungs (as in determining lung function in the diagnosis of pulmonary disease)
spirometric adjective
spirometry noun

Examples of spirometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The first challenge was that the use of spirometers, devices used to measure lung function, was discouraged or prohibited due to the risk of COVID transmission. New Atlas, 11 July 2025 Lastly a device known as a spirometer measures the volume of gas expelled by the lungs on each breath, to monitor breathing patterns. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 24 Mar. 2020 In the games used in the study, which were built by students at Champlain College in Vermont, a device for measuring lung capacity called a spirometer is used as a controller. Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2011 Instead, according to the complaint, the nurse on duty told Saint to take deep breaths with a measuring device called a spirometer, and got her oxygen level up to 72% — still far too low. Robert McCoppin, chicagotribune.com, 17 Jan. 2022 Another equation estimates lung function by gauging the maximum amount of air a person can exhale forcefully into an instrument called a spirometer. Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Science | AAAS, 22 July 2021 Participants breathed through a spirometer with a turbine to reveal their lung function. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2021 Cartwright, the racist doctor from the 1800s, also developed his own version of a tool called the spirometer to measure lung capacity. Jacque Smith, CNN, 25 Apr. 2021 And Callen, Brees' youngest son, sat intently while watching his dad blow into a real spirometer. Amie Just | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, 17 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary spiro- (from Latin spirare to breathe) + -meter

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spirometer was in 1809

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spirometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirometer. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

Medical Definition

spirometer

noun
spi·​rom·​e·​ter spi-ˈräm-ət-ər How to pronounce spirometer (audio)
: an instrument used in spirometry for measuring the air entering and leaving the lungs
spirometric adjective

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