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

What To Know The new device, developed at China's National University of Defence Technology, is just 2 centimeters long (under an inch), 3 cm wide (just over an inch), and weighs less than 0.2 grams. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

Forecasters expected up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) of rain could fall across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states. —Luis Alberto Cruz, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025

Based on an analysis published by NASA in 2021, global mean sea levels rose by about 20 centimeters (around eight inches) between 1901 and 2018. —David Bressan, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

The two-time Olympic gold medalist is now unbeaten since July 2023, winning the Stockholm meet by 38 centimeters more than Australia’s Kurtis Marschall in second. —George Ramsay, CNN Money, 16 June 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