barometer
/bəˈrɒmɪtə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /bəˈrɑːmɪtər/ (ame, ipa) · /bə-ˈrä-mə-tər/ (ame, mw)
barometer — noun
- barometersingular
- barometersplural
1. a small tool that reads the weight of the air around us so people can guess whet
a small tool that reads the weight of the air around us so people can guess whether rain or fair skies are coming.
Kenji glanced at the brass barometer in the hall before suggesting an umbrella.
collocation: glance at / check the barometer
The old barometer on the kitchen wall is dropping fast, so a storm is probably near.
pattern: barometer + is dropping / is rising
Sailors on small fishing boats once relied on a barometer to warn them of rough seas.
Rodrigo tapped the glass of the barometer, hoping the needle would finally move.
A simple barometer at the camp site told the hikers that heavy rain was on its way.
- aneroid
technical term for a barometer that uses a sealed metal box instead of liquid mercury
- weather glass
older, informal name for a household barometer, mostly in British use
文法句型
a barometer (+ shows / reads / falls / rises)
用法筆記
Subject is usually the device itself ('the barometer shows / falls / rises') or a person checking it ('check / read / tap the barometer'). The reading is described with 'high' or 'low', not 'big' or 'small'.
常見錯誤
2. anything you can watch closely — a result, a number, a group of people — to see
anything you can watch closely — a result, a number, a group of people — to see how an idea, feeling, or wider situation is shifting over time.
Local bakery sales have long been a barometer of how confident families feel about money.
pattern: a barometer of + abstract noun (confidence / mood / opinion)
Baraka believes the number of bicycles in the city is a useful barometer of public health.
collocation: a useful / reliable / good barometer of
Voting in the village council often acts as a barometer of mood in the wider region.
Reviews on travel websites have become a quick barometer of how guests feel about a hotel.
Talia studies coffee shop prices as a barometer of changes in her neighbourhood.
- indicator
more neutral and far more common; 'barometer' adds the sense of moment-to-moment change
- gauge
stresses careful measurement; 'barometer' stresses sensitivity to shifts
- bellwether
narrower — a single leading example that predicts what others will do
文法句型
a barometer of [something abstract]
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'of' + an abstract noun (opinion, mood, confidence, change). Often paired with verbs like 'act as', 'serve as', 'become', or 'use as'. Distinguish from sense 1 by the absence of any physical device — here the 'barometer' is whatever data or behaviour reveals a trend.