centimeter

noun

cen·​ti·​me·​ter ˈsen-tə-ˌmē-tər  ˈsän- 

: a unit of length equal to ¹/₁₀₀ meter see Metric System Table

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In the metric system, which is used in most countries of the world, each basic unit of measure of length, area, or volume can be divided into centimeters. A meter consists of 100 centimeters, a square meter consists of 10,000 square centimeters, and a cubic meter consists of 1,000,000 cubic centimeters.

Examples of centimeter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tests were conducted on a flexible vine robot ranging from 3 to 7 millimeters in diameter and 25 centimeters in length. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025

Coastal areas of suburban Long Island could see flooding, with up to 3 inches (about 8 centimeters) of rain and lashing winds expected, the weather service said. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025

The mass measured 10 centimeters. —Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025

It To meet Leggett and Caldeira’s challenge, the Berkeley group went to great lengths to isolate their system from the environment by putting their centimeter-sized chip at the end of a tube packed with powdered copper to tamp down noise. —Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing centimeter

• centimeter-gram-second

Rhymes for centimeter

• amphitheater
• centimetre
• decimeter
• ergometer
• expositor
• gasometer
• gravimeter
• hexameter
• manometer
• milliliter
• millimeter
• millimetre

Kids Definition

centimeter

noun

cen·​ti·​me·​ter ˈsent-ə-ˌmēt-ər  ˈsänt- 

: a unit of length equal to ¹⁄₁₀₀ meter see metric system

Medical Definition

centimeter

noun

cen·​ti·​me·​ter

variants or chiefly British centimetre

ˈsent-ə-ˌmēt-ər  ˈsänt- 

: a unit of length equal to ¹/₁₀₀ meter