Skip to main content
centimeter

centimeter

92 1.0
A unit of length equal to one hundredth of a meter, used to measure small distances
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛntɪˌmiːtər/
  • US
translation icon : centímetro
  • The ruler shows that the length of the box is 30 centimeters.
  • centimeter (cm)
  • cubic centimeter
  • square centimeter

He only ever beats his world record by a centimeter each time.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • We're going to have one centimetre across the whole floor.

  • If it's one centimeter, how many centimeters are there in a kilometer?

  • So if we move it out one more centimeter, it will be like this.

  • It's like half a centimeter bigger.

  • If I extended my hand just a centimeter, I could touch his arm.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Eight feet, give or take a centimeter.

  • Each one of its teeth was 15 centimeters long.

  • He only ever beats his world record by a centimeter each time.

  • And the length of the nose, 6 centimeters.

  • Another two centimeters or so and that nail would have punctured his lung.

Synonyms

cm
vscentimeter
  • Specialized
31 1.0

A metric unit of length equal to one hundredth of a meter

is the full written form rather than the abbreviation

Compounds

cubic centimeter
  • Specialized
4 3.1

A unit of volume equal to one milliliter

square centimeter
  • Specialized
1 2.2

An area equal to a square one centimeter on each side

How Long

kilometer
  • US
572 1.8
meter
  • Specialized
621 1.0
decimeter
  • Specialized
1 3.7
centimeter
  • US
92 1.0
millimeter
  • Specialized
140 2.5

Surface Forms

centimeter singular
centimeters plural

Morphology

centimeter = meter (transparent) = centi + meter

The word transparently combines the prefix 'centi-' meaning one hundredth with 'meter' meaning a unit of length, so the overall meaning is directly compositional.

Etymology

The word centimeter comes from two parts: centi- meaning 'hundred', like in century or cent, and meter meaning 'measure'. Think of a meter cut into 100 equal pieces, and one of those pieces is a centimeter, which is why we use it for small distances.