centimeter

especially British, cen·ti·me·tre

[sen-tuh-mee-ter]

noun

1. one 100th of a meter, equivalent to 0.3937 inch. cm, cm.

centimeter

1. A unit of length in the metric system equal to 0.01 meter.

2. See Table at measurement

centimeter

1. A unit of length in the metric system; one-hundredth of a meter, or about two-fifths of an inch.

Word History and Origins

Origin of centimeter¹

From the French word centimètre, dating back to 1795–1805. See centi-, meter ¹

Example Sentences

After she was released, she went to the hospital where doctors told her she had already dilated two centimeters.

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“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.”

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“But they brought it out, did a demo and I measured the lines after it was done and they were within a centimeter.”

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In the end, only a tiny tsunami, measured at 5 centimeters, was recorded in December.

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It will detect changes and land, ice, or coastal shifts as small as centimeters, says Ms Mitra.

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