centimeter
Americannoun
-
centimeters
plural
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:
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
Every square centimeter HBM takes is one less that can be used to make memory for other devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026
For every additional centimeter beyond that range, the likelihood of hospitalization and early death increases.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 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
Accurate down to the centimeter, the new instrument confirmed what the other measurements had said: day and night, the bulge steadily grew.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
The water level there is expected to drop below 20 centimeters from the second half of this week, the German Waterways and Shipping Administration said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The city once experienced subsidence exceeding 10 centimeters per year, with the worst affected locations sinking by around 24 centimeters annually.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
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
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
The tumor in the sergeant majors throat, reports the doctor, has grown to four centimeters in diameter.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
