liter

noun

li·​ter ˈlē-tər 

variants or litre

: a metric unit of capacity equal to one cubic decimeter see Metric System Table

Examples of liter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With more than 8 billion people living on the planet, that means engineers need to produce nearly 2.6 trillion gallons (10 trillion liters) of clean drinking water every year. —Daniel B. Oerther, The Conversation, 1 May 2025

McCall told The Athletic that Churchill Downs sources 50,000 liters of Woodford Reserve bourbon each year and 28,730 bunches of spearmint from Nelson Family Agriculture to make 120,000 Mint Juleps for Derby week. —Hannah Vanbiber, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

When set to High, the device dries bladders at a rate of about one hour per liter of capacity. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 29 Apr. 2025

Fatalities have been reported after consuming three to 58 micrograms per liter. —Alex Gurley, People.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French litre, from Medieval Latin litra, a measure, from Greek, a weight

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for liter

• beater
• cheater
• dieter
• eater
• heater
• litre
• meter
• metre
• neater
• praetor
• seater
• skeeter

Kids Definition

liter

noun

li·​ter

variants or litre

ˈlēt-ər

: a metric unit of capacity equal to one cubic decimeter see metric system

Medical Definition

liter

noun

li·​ter

variants or chiefly British litre

ˈlēt-ər 

: a metric unit of capacity equal to the volume of one kilogram of water at 4°C (39°F) and at standard atmospheric pressure of 760 millimeters of mercury