centimeter

noun

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

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

Did you know?

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

The project, which began in April 2025, involves a 31-inch (80 centimeters) drone equipped with a multispectral camera that’s capable of detecting variations in vegetation health and moisture content. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 9 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

Imagine shredding the novel into pieces of paper, each about 5 square centimeters. —IEEE Spectrum, 2 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