centimeter

American  

[sen-tuh-mee-ter] / ˈsɛn təˌmi tər /

especially British, centimetre

noun

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

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centimeter Scientific  

/ sĕn′tə-mē′tər /

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

2. See Table at measurement

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centimeter Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of centimeter

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

Example Sentences

Boxwork formations also exist on Earth, but they are usually only a few centimeters tall and often appear in caves or dry sandy environments.

From Science Daily

These fields permeate every cubic centimeter of space and time.

From Science Daily

Wrinkle structures are tiny ridges and pits ranging from millimeters to centimeters across.

From Science Daily

I went over and he looked at the prototype, and said, “Why don’t you move this seam over the bum by a centimeter. I think it’ll be more flattering.”

From Los Angeles Times

The fragments vary widely in size, from less than 1 gram to 85.4 grams, and can measure up to 5 centimeters along their longest dimension.

From Science Daily