centimeter
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of centimeter
From the French word centimètre, dating back to 1795–1805. See centi-, meter 1
Explanation
In the metric system, a centimeter is a unit of measurement that's about one-third the size of an inch. There are approximately 30 centimeters in a foot. The word centimeter comes from the French centimètre, a combination of the Latin word for "hundred," centum, and the French mètre. A centimeter is one hundredth of a meter—in other words, there are one hundred centimeters in one meter. In just about every part of the world besides the U.S., this word is spelled centimetre.
Vocabulary lists containing centimeter
Measurement and Data
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: cent
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: meter, metr
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
According to Wu, the catalyst also operated for more than 1,000 hours at industry-level current densities of 1 and 2 amperes per square centimeter.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
Veradermics also assessed hair count per square centimeter, finding that both dosing regimens increased hair count by at least 30 hairs per square centimeter, compared with 7.3 hairs per square centimeter for the placebo group.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
It had a 1,971-cubic centimeter, in-line six-cylinder engine, and BMW is still famous for building its flagship in-line six-cylinder today, all over the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025
“It wasn’t the hardest project,” Gibson says, “but you do have to measure each tile to the centimeter because the apartment has moved slightly over the years, presumably from earthquakes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
A worker bee is just over a centimeter long and weighs only about sixty milligrams; nevertheless, she can fly with a load heavier than herself.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
This week, water levels at Kaub—the closely watched water gauge at the shallow stretch of the Rhine downstream from Naegler’s winery—fell below 50 centimeters, or almost 20 inches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Each structure measured roughly 10 to 20 centimeters in diameter.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026
Satellite data revealed that the ground above the volcano rose by about 6 centimeters, confirming that magma had entered the shallow crust beneath the island.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026
However, every known fossil of this species has been surprisingly small, measuring no more than 40 centimeters in length.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 21, 2026
He cannot make it without such a wrench that he is flung one or two centimeters into the air by the recoil.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
