meter

1 of 6

noun (1)

me·​ter ˈmē-tər 

1

a

: systematically arranged and measured rhythm (see rhythm sense 1) in verse:

(1)

: rhythm that continuously repeats a single basic pattern

iambic meter

(2)

: rhythm characterized by regular recurrence of a systematic arrangement of basic patterns in larger figures

ballad meter

b

: a measure or unit of metrical verse

—usually used in combination

pentameter

compare foot sense 4

c

: a fixed metrical pattern : verse form

2

: the basic recurrent rhythmical pattern of note values, accents, and beats per measure in music

meter

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noun (2)

met·​er ˈmē-tər 

: one that measures

especially : an official measurer of commodities

meter

3 of 6

noun (3)

me·​ter ˈmē-tər 

: the base unit of length in the International System of Units that is equal to the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in ¹/₂₉₉,₇₉₂,₄₅₈ second or to about 39.37 inches see Metric System Table

meter

4 of 6

noun (4)

me·​ter ˈmē-tər 

1

: an instrument for measuring and sometimes recording the time or amount of something

a parking meter

a gas meter

2

: postage meter

also : a marking printed by a postage meter

meter

5 of 6

verb

me·​ter ˈmē-tər 

metered; metering; meters

transitive verb

1

: to measure by means of a meter

2

: to supply in a measured or regulated amount

3

: to print postal indicia on by means of a postage meter

-meter

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noun combining form

: instrument or means for measuring

barometer

Did you know?

Meter is a metric measurement slightly longer than a yard; thus, a 100-meter dash might take you a second longer than a 100-yard dash. But the word has a different sense in music, where people aren't separated by whether they use the metric system. For a musician, the meter is the regular background rhythm, expressed by the "time signature" written at the beginning of a piece or section: 2/2, 2/4, 3/8, 4/4, 6/8, etc. Within a meter, you can create rhythms that range from the simple to the complex. So, for example, "America the Beautiful" is in 4/4 meter (or "4/4 time"), but so are most of the rhythmically complex songs written by Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, or Stevie Wonder. In ordinary conversation, though, most people use "rhythm" to include meter and everything that's built on top of it. In poetry, meter has much the same meaning; however, poetic meters aren't named with numbers but instead with traditional Greek and Latin terms such as iambic and dactylic.

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• rhythm
• cadence

Examples of meter in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the poem's heavy meter is meant to reinforce the atmosphere of gloom

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Zaker said that over 300 million cubic meters of water from the Jaghatu and Tatahu rivers—crucial to Urmia’s survival—were being transferred to other provinces. —Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

The telescope complex sits at an elevation of about 7,000 feet (2,100 meters). —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025

Verb

Columbus water doesn't meter New Albany's water use, so the utility can't measure how much the eastern suburb is using, Columbus water spokesperson George Zonders said in an email. —Maria Devito, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025

But billing systems often rely on usage metrics—what’s easiest to meter. —Scott Woody, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English metre, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin metrum, borrowed from Greek métron "measure, space measured, (in plural) proportions, poetic meter," perhaps going back to Indo-European *mh_1-tro-, zero-grade derivative of a verbal base *meh₁- "measure" — more at measure entry 1

Note: The word meter in the sense "poetic meter" is attested twice in Old English as a borrowing from Latin, but there is no continuity between this use and occurrence in later Middle English.

Noun (2)

Middle English, from meten "to mete entry 1" + -er -er entry 2

Noun (3)

borrowed from French mètre, borrowed from Greek métron "measure" — more at meter entry 1

Noun (4)

probably originally, as short for gas-meter "instrument for measuring the quantity of gas passing through an outlet," to be identified with meter entry 2; later uses appear to be extracted from compounds with -meter, generalized to refer to any measuring device

Verb

derivative of meter entry 4

Noun combining form

borrowed from French & New Latin; French -mètre, borrowed from New Latin -meter, borrowed from Greek -metron (as in hodómetron "instrument for measuring distance, odometer"), from métron "measure, instrument for measuring" — more at meter entry 1

Note: The earliest of such New Latin compounds is perhaps altimeter altimeter.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1797, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1878, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing meter

• exposure meter
• feed the meter
• kilogram-meter
• light meter
• long meter
• meter-kilogram-second
• meter maid
• parking meter
• peak flow meter
• pH meter
• postage meter
• water meter

Rhymes for meter

• beater
• butter
• cheater
• clutter
• cutter
• dieter
• eater
• flutter
• gutter
• heater
• liter
• litre

Kids Definition

meter

1 of 3 noun

me·​ter ˈmēt-ər 

1

: a systematic rhythm in poetry that is usually repeated

2

: the repeated pattern of musical beats in a measure

meter

2 of 3 noun

: the basic unit of length of the metric system equal to about 39.37 inches see metric system

meter

3 of 3 noun

: an instrument for measuring and sometimes recording the amount of something

a gas meter

Medical Definition

meter

1 of 2 noun

me·​ter

variants or chiefly British metre

ˈmēt-ər 

: the base unit of length in the International System of Units that is equal to the distance traveled in a vacuum by light in 1/299,792,458 second or to about 39.37 inches

meter

2 of 2 noun

: an instrument for measuring and sometimes recording the time or amount of something