meter
1the fundamental unit of length in the metric system, equivalent to 39.37 U.S. inches, originally intended to be, and being very nearly, equal to one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the pole measured on a meridian: defined from 1889 to 1960 as the distance between two lines on a platinum-iridium bar (the “International Prototype Meter”) preserved at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris; from 1960 to 1983 defined as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red radiation of krypton 86 under specified conditions; and now defined as 1/299,792,458 of the distance light travels in a vacuum in one second. Abbreviation: m
Origin of meter
1- Also especially British, me·tre .
Other definitions for meter (2 of 4)
Music.
the rhythmic element as measured by division into parts of equal time value.
the unit of measurement, in terms of number of beats, adopted for a given piece of music.: Compare measure (def. 14).
Prosody.
poetic measure; arrangement of words in regularly measured, patterned, or rhythmic lines or verses.
a particular form of such arrangement, depending on either the kind or the number of feet constituting the verse or both rhythmic kind and number of feet (usually used in combination): pentameter; dactylic meter; iambic trimeter.
Origin of meter
2- Also especially British, me·tre .
Other definitions for meter (3 of 4)
an instrument for measuring, especially one that automatically measures and records the quantity of something, as of gas, water, miles, or time, when it is activated.
to measure by means of a meter.
to process (mail) by means of a postage meter.
Origin of meter
3- Also especially British, me·tre .
Other words from meter
- un·me·tered, adjective
Other definitions for -meter (4 of 4)
a combining form meaning “measure,” used in the names of instruments measuring quantity, extent, degree, etc.: altimeter; barometer.
Origin of -meter
4- Compare -metry.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use meter in a sentence
The concentration of PM2.5, the smallest particulate matter, is at 153 micrograms per cubic meter.
You can only see from above about a meter below the surface.
The government of Colombia decided to loan the 28,000 square meter fixer-upper to a fraternity of hermetic Benedictine monks.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens | Jeff Campagna | June 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOn one recent night, with only a brief break between, she had two five-hour private sessions—the meter running by the minute.
The calorie meter—accurate or not—helps too, because it feels like an accomplishment to see that number go up.
Down the block, a taxi that had been parked with meter ticking across from Engel's apartment-hotel drew away slowly.
Plants are set out one meter apart in each direction, as they spread considerably.
Philippine Mats | Hugo H. MillerI think the change began with the failure of the supply of gas from the penny-in-the-slot meter.
In Accordance with the Evidence | Oliver OnionsIndeed, he states explicitly that most forms of poetry do use all of the media mentioned: rhythm, tune, and meter.
Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance | Donald Lemen ClarkI have been glad ever since to live where there is nothing more to do than turn the gas off at the meter when one goes to bed.
Thirty Years in Australia | Ada Cambridge
British Dictionary definitions for meter (1 of 4)
/ (ˈmiːtə) /
the US spelling of metre 1
British Dictionary definitions for meter (2 of 4)
/ (ˈmiːtə) /
the US spelling of metre 2
British Dictionary definitions for meter (3 of 4)
/ (ˈmiːtə) /
any device that measures and records the quantity of a substance, such as gas, that has passed through it during a specified period
any device that measures and sometimes records an electrical or magnetic quantity, such as current, voltage, etc
See parking meter
to measure (a rate of flow) with a meter
to print with stamps by means of a postage meter
Origin of meter
3British Dictionary definitions for -meter (4 of 4)
indicating an instrument for measuring: barometer
prosody indicating a verse having a specified number of feet: pentameter
Origin of -meter
4Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for meter
[ mē′tər ]
The basic unit of length in the metric system, equal to 39.37 inches. See Table at measurement.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for meter (1 of 2)
The highly organized rhythm characteristic of verse; the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. (See iambic pentameter.)
The basic unit of length in the metric system; it was originally planned so that the circumference of the Earth would be measured at about forty million meters. A meter is 39.37 inches. Today, the meter is defined to be the distance light travels in 1 / 299,792,458 seconds.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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