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:
One group consists of millipedes less than a centimeter long that spend their lives underground.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 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
Her eyes blazed with power, and there were sparks sizzling below every centimeter of skin.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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
The laser cavity measures 42 centimeters in length, yet it can be folded onto a chip occupying roughly the area of a match head.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2026
These early reptiles varied in size from just a few centimeters to several feet and were among the first to explore life on land.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 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
In the dark I have to hold it centimeters from my nose, laboring over every letter.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
