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

The GreyShark can detect changes as small as two square centimeters in a section of cable or pipeline, Markus Beer, EUROATLAS's chief sales officer for AUVs, told Newsweek aboard a vessel observing GreyShark demonstrations in the Baltic Sea, close to the northern German coastline. —MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025

Radar and motion sensors feed a localization module that pins the car’s position to within centimeters. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025

One recent study found that Iran’s central plateau, where most of the country’s aquifers are located, is sinking by more than 35 centimeters each year. —Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 21 Nov. 2025

Kenney, of Abington, Massachusetts, said the alligator, being young and just a foot (30 centimeters) long, is basically harmless to humans. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Nov. 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