kilometer

especially British, kil·o·me·tre

[ki-lom-i-ter, kil-uh-mee‑]

noun

1. a unit of length, the common measure of distances equal to 1,000 meters, and equivalent to 3280.8 feet or 0.621 mile. km

kilometer

1. A unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 meters (0.62 mile).

2. See Table at measurement

kilometer

1. In the metric system, one thousand meters, or about five-eighths of a mile.

Pronunciation Note

The usual pronunciation for units of measurement starting with kilo-, as kilocalorie, kiloliter, and kilohertz, as well as for units of length ending in the base word meter, as centimeter, hectometer, and millimeter, gives primary stress to the first syllable and secondary to the third. It would seem logical for kilometer to follow this pattern, and in fact the pronunciation has been used since the early 1800's. A second pronunciation: , with stress on the second syllable only, was first recorded in America before 1830. Although often criticized on the basis of analogy, this pronunciation has persisted in American English, increasing in frequency, and has gained popularity in British English as well. It is reinforced by words for instruments (rather than units) of measurement ending in -meter, as thermometer, barometer, and speedometer, having stress on the -om syllable. Both pronunciations are used by educated speakers, including members of the scientific community.

Other Word Forms

• kilometric adjective
• kilometrical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kilometer¹

First recorded in 1800–10; from French kilomètre; kilo-, meter ¹

Example Sentences

As soon as they leave the beach where they hatch, young loggerheads begin journeys that span thousands of kilometers and can continue for decades.

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"It links events on the microscopic scale to major thrust earthquakes on a scale of hundreds of kilometers," Watkins said.

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“I live five kilometers from the hospital where I was born. And that’s the farthest I can be,” he says.

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The team found that inner coast transients, estimated at roughly 350 individuals, typically stayed about six kilometers from shore in relatively shallow areas such as the Salish Sea.

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"This should never have happened," she told AFP at a morgue in the central city of Villavicencio where the bodies were taken for families to claim -- hundreds of kilometers from Guaviare.

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