magnetometer

noun

mag·​ne·​tom·​e·​ter ˌmag-nə-ˈtä-mə-tər 

: an instrument used to detect the presence of a metallic object or to measure the intensity of a magnetic field

magnetometric

mag-ˌnē-tə-ˈme-trik 

-ˌne-

adjective

magnetometry

ˌmag-nə-ˈtä-mə-trē 

noun

Examples of magnetometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the future, drones outfitted with magnetometers could quickly deploy to areas where aerial detection isn’t possible. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 Dec. 2024

But in 2022, a team led by Jörg Fassbinder of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, mapped around seven percent of the city area using a high-resolution magnetometer. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

Given the turbulent nature of the region, the team decided not to mount the magnetometer to a drone or another vehicle so as not to attract unwanted attention. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

Meanwhile, scientists turned Galileo’s magnetometer toward Europa. —David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

magnetometer

noun

mag·​ne·​tom·​e·​ter ˌmag-nə-ˈtäm-ət-ər 

: an instrument used to detect the presence of a metallic object or to measure the strength of a magnetic field

Medical Definition

magnetometer

noun

mag·​ne·​tom·​e·​ter ˌmag-nə-ˈtäm-ət-ər 

: an instrument used to detect the presence of a metallic object or to measure the intensity of a magnetic field

magnetometric

mag-ˌnēt-ə-ˈme-trik  -ˌnet- 

adjective

magnetometry

ˌmag-nə-ˈtäm-ə-trē 

noun

plural magnetometries