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

Natural cosmic ray muography yields only about 1 muon per square centimeter per second. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Soggy weather slogs off to the east From Colorado and across the Great Plains to Iowa, as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain fell Tuesday and into Wednesday, with some areas seeing even more. — Mead Gruver, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026

Together, these steps could add up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of sea-level rise from Antarctica alone by 2100 – enough to permanently flood the homes of more than 10 million people. — Robert Kopp, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

The ends flitted out and folded centimeters above her brows, blending between the relaxed waves that moved over her shoulders. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing centimeter

• centimeter-gram-second

Rhymes for centimeter

• amphitheater
• bolometer
• centimetre
• decimeter
• ergometer
• expositor
• gasometer
• gravimeter
• hexameter
• manometer
• milliliter
• millimeter

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