kilometer

noun

ki·​lo·​me·​ter kə-ˈlä-mə-tər How to pronounce kilometer (audio)
ki-;
ˈki-lə-ˌmē-tər How to pronounce kilometer (audio)
ˈkē-lə-
: a metric unit of length equal to 1000 meters see Metric System Table
How do you pronounce kilometer?: Usage Guide

In North American speech kilometer is most often pronounced with primary stress on the second syllable. This pronunciation is also heard frequently in British speech. Those who object to second syllable stress say that the first syllable should be stressed in accord with the stress patterns of centimeter, millimeter, etc. However, the pronunciation of kilometer does not parallel that of other metric compounds. From 1828 to 1841 Noah Webster indicated only second syllable stress, and his successor added a first syllable stress variant in the first Merriam-Webster dictionary of 1847. Thus, both pronunciations are venerable. Most scientists use second syllable stress, although first syllable stress seems to occur with a higher rate of frequency among scientists than among nonscientists.

Did you know?

A kilometer is equal to about 62/100 of a mile, and a mile is equal to about 1.61 kilometers. The U.S. has been slow to adopt metric measures, which are used almost everywhere else in the world. Though our car speedometers are often marked in both miles and kilometers, the U.S. and Great Britain are practically the only developed nations that still show miles rather than kilometers on their road signs. But even in the U.S., footraces are usually measured in meters or kilometers, like the Olympic races. Runners normally abbreviate kilometer to K: "a 5K race" (3.1 miles), "the 10K run" (6.2 miles), and so on.

Examples of kilometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to us after the Sun, is 26 trillion miles away (about 41 trillion kilometers). Jarred Roberts, The Conversation, 20 May 2025 McDowell further explained that the white streak was caused by the fuel dump from the upper stage at about 155 miles (250 kilometers) altitude. Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 19 May 2025 It could be seen from as far as 5 kilometers away and was created in eye-watering detail, right down to the location of the towers and turrets. Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025 However, just before returning home, the crew picked up the Chinese migrants from Hong Kong and dropped them off at Robe, a community about 365 miles (400 kilometers) west of the main ports in Victoria, from which the migrants trekked overland to the gold mines, Hunter said. Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for kilometer

Word History

Etymology

French kilomètre, from kilo- + mètre meter

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kilometer was in 1810

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kilometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilometer. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

kilometer

noun
ki·​lo·​me·​ter kə-ˈläm-ət-ər How to pronounce kilometer (audio) kil-ˈäm- How to pronounce kilometer (audio)
ˈkil-ə-ˌmēt-ər
: a metric unit of length equal to 1000 meters see metric system

Medical Definition

kilometer

noun
ki·​lo·​me·​ter
variants or chiefly British kilometre
: 1000 meters

More from Merriam-Webster on kilometer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!