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

Going back to the novel-shredding analogy, imagine trying to reassemble the book after it was shredded into pieces only 1 centimeter square rather than 5. —IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025

One bullet missed her eye and the other her brain by mere centimeters. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025

For day, a new interpretation of a ballerina style got a little lift with a three-centimeter heel, and minimalist silhouettes popped in a series of bright hues, including orange, red, azure and yellow. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025

The design achieved power densities of 639 milliwatts/cm², which is the amount of electrical power generated per square centimeter of fuel cell area. —Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 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