centimeter

[ sen-tuh-mee-ter ]

/ ˈsɛn təˌmi tər /

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noun

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

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Also especially British, cen·ti·me·tre .

Origin of centimeter

From the French word centimètre, dating back to 1795–1805. See centi-, meter¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

If the waters had risen twenty more centimeters, I would have drowned.
Japan’s Ishinomaki City Still Stricken from Tsunami|Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky|March 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The reenvisioned design will measure 24 centimeters in diameter and will retail for a cool $2,400.
Lady Gaga To Collaborate With Versace; Chanel Hula Hoop Bag For Sale|The Fashion Beast Team|November 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
SMERSH estimated his height at “183 centimeters, weight 76 kilograms, slim build.”
Literary Bond Superior to Movie Version|Allen Barra|November 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But Elite subsequently dismissed her, saying her hips were too big by two centimeters (3/4 of an inch).
Ananda Marchildon, ‘Too Fat’ Model, Wins Lawsuit|Nadette De Visser|March 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Marchildon starved herself and exercised relentlessly to try to lose the required two centimeters, but to no avail.
Ananda Marchildon, ‘Too Fat’ Model, Wins Lawsuit|Nadette De Visser|March 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The product is then multiplied by the number of cubic centimeters voided in twenty-four hours and divided by 1000.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
At times they are set very close together; again they may be several centimeters apart.
Philippine Mats|Hugo H. Miller
On one occasion a female was observed at a distance of about 50 centimeters away from a calling male sitting on a blade of grass.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman
Angular momentum one point one times ten to the twenty-first gram centimeters squared per second.
Thin Edge|Gordon Randall Garrett
The terminal centimeters are thicker than the remainder of the rod, and on one side a vertical cavity about 0.5 cm.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre

centimeter

[ sĕn′tə-mē′tər ]

A unit of length equal to one hundredth (10-2) of a meter.

centimeter

[ sĕn′tə-mē′tər ]

A unit of length in the metric system equal to 0.01 meter. See Table at measurement.

centimeter

[ (sen-tuh-mee-tuhr) ]

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