centimeter
noun
cen·ti·me·ter
ˈsen-tə-ˌmē-tər 
ˈsän-
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 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
They’ve been found to contain as many as 45 billion microbes of bacteria per cubic centimeter.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025
In particular, everything had to fit under 1-centimeter cubed, as sending a 1-pound object to and from the moon costs about $100,000.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025
The 81- x 60-centimeter (32- x 24-inch) painting, which is signed in the upper-left corner of the canvas, will be auctioned on October 24.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for centimeter
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Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
They’ve been found to contain as many as 45 billion microbes of bacteria per cubic centimeter.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025
In particular, everything had to fit under 1-centimeter cubed, as sending a 1-pound object to and from the moon costs about $100,000.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025
The 81- x 60-centimeter (32- x 24-inch) painting, which is signed in the upper-left corner of the canvas, will be auctioned on October 24.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for centimeter
Cite this Entry
“Centimeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centimeter. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
centimeter
noun
cen·ti·me·ter
ˈsent-ə-ˌmēt-ər
ˈsänt-
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
: a unit of length equal to ¹/₁₀₀ meter
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