forehead thermometer

noun

plural forehead thermometers
: a thermometer that is placed on, passed over, or pointed at the forehead to measure a person's body temperature
especially : a handheld thermometer that measures the temperature of a branch of the superficial temporal artery (see temporal artery sense 2a) by pointing an infrared scanner directly at the forehead or lightly passing the scanner across the skin of the forehead : temporal thermometer
As a precaution, all center visitors will have their temperatures taken with forehead thermometers upon arrival, and all students will be directed to wash their hands. Howard Blume
They recently bought a forehead thermometer and have tested teammates' temperatures with it three times daily. Henri Gendreau

Examples of forehead thermometer 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.
Many devices that were in frequent use during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as pulse oximeters and forehead thermometers, involve emitting and capturing light to make a measurement. Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 16 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of forehead thermometer was in 1979

Dictionary Entries Near forehead thermometer

Cite this Entry

“Forehead thermometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forehead%20thermometer. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!