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

Border trimming tends to be a weak spot for robot lawn mowers, but the RockMow Z1 promises to get within 3 centimeters of walls, hopefully saving you from having to break out the edger. —Pcmag Staff, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025

In contrast, the Southampton team starts with a larger glass preform about 20 centimeters wide, with the hollow channels already built in. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025

In an urban setting, the ideal positioning is within 5 centimeters or essentially the length of an Airpods’ case. —Steve Tengler, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

The research team attempted to show the practical application of their idea by constructing a green wall made of 56 plants that produced enough light to see text, images and a person located up to 10 centimeters (four inches) away, according to the study. —Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 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