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barometer definition

ba·rom·eter (bə räm′ət ər)

noun

  1. an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure, esp. an aneroid barometer or an evacuated and graduated glass tube (mercury barometer) in which a column of mercury rises or falls as the pressure of the atmosphere increases or decreases: barometers are used in forecasting changes in the weather or finding height above sea level
  2. anything that reflects or indicates change the stock market is a barometer of business

Etymology: baro- + -meter

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business barometer definition - business

finance barometer definition - finance

barometer Synonyms

barometer

n.

glass, weather gauge, storm gauge, pressure indicator, weatherglass, aneroid barometer, mercury barometer, gauge.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

barometer Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • opinion: Our aim is to support and encourage and to be a barometer of public opinion and expectations.

Converse of object

  • invent: It is named after the Italian physicist who invented the mercury barometer in 1643.

Adjective modifier

  • aneroid: Not too bad a piece of work by Munro in 1891, using existing maps and aneroid barometer!

Modifies a noun

  • reading: Trend setting When taking barometer readings to forecast the weather the actual reading is less important than the overall trend.

Noun used with modifier

  • mercury: Trying to read a mercury barometer on board a ship caught in a hurricane is not easy.
barometer usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

barometer quotes

The poet†may be used as a barometer, but let us not forget that he is also part of the weather.

-Trillin, Calvin Marshall

barometer quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"barometer." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/barometer>

APA Style

barometer. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/barometer

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