Meaning & use
odometer
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
An instrument in a vehicle that shows the total distance it has traveled.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'the' when referring to a specific vehicle's device.
Patterns
- check the odometer
- the odometer reads something
The odometer showed 50,000 miles.
He checked the odometer before buying the used car.
According to the odometer, we've driven 200 miles today.
Word forms
| plural | odometers |
|---|
Common combinations
- digital odometer
- Modern cars often have a digital odometer.
- odometer reading
- The odometer reading was lower than expected.
- tamper with the odometer
- It is illegal to tamper with the odometer to hide the true mileage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mileometer
- British term for the same device; 'odometer' is the standard American term.
- mileage counter
- A descriptive phrase, less common than 'odometer'.
Commonly confused: odometer or trip meter?
odometer vs trip meter
A trip meter can be reset to zero to measure a single journey, while an odometer shows total distance and cannot be reset.
Practice
What does an odometer measure?
Choose one answer.
An odometer shows the total distance a vehicle has traveled. Speed is measured by a speedometer, fuel by a fuel gauge, and a single trip by a trip meter.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “odometer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.